Confession 124: Beautiful Days

I love Fall.  It is, undoubtedly, my favorite season.  I love the crisp air, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the rich vibrant colors, the smell of woodsmoke.  We're not there yet, but today a hint of it teased in the air.  Today was the first really nice day we've had around here for months.  The high was 76 degrees with full sun and a heavy breeze.  It was a day meant for outside play.  So, we packed the boys in the van and headed for the city.  After turning in my Jetta (the lease was up) and bidding her Adieu, we drove to a nearby park where we met my sister and her little one.  Everyone in the North Kansas City area with a child was at the park, too, as there was only a half-day of school.  But the boys were not deterred.  Stephen ran up into a giant kangaroo that had a slide down the middle.  After a brief discussion with Mama about pushing other kids, he was ready to roll.  Garrett, my somewhat dainty careful child has suddenly become very interested in climbing, albeit only on playground equipment.  He found a jungle gym and got most of the way up before Daddy had to rescue him.

We left the park for an early supper at one of our favorite restaurants and walked around an outdoor shopping area, stopping to let the boys study a frog fountain. When Stephen decided to start throwing things in, we decided it was time to move on.  Still feeling the buzz of the beautiful weather, we decided to take a stroll down memory lane and show Garrett some of the places he knew as a baby.  We took him by his first church, drove him past the plot of land that was his first home.  The old parsonage had to be torn down after being condemned.  Good memories! :-)  We then went to our favorite park to let the boys loose before making the trek back home.  This park could possibly be my favorite of all the parks I've visited.  It is nestled in a quiet space between a river and a train track.  Idyllic is the word that comes to mind.  A walking/biking path follows the course of the river, big oak trees grow sporadically across the green space and two play areas provide ample entertainment for the young ones.  We spent many mornings and evenings walking the trails here, pushing Garrett around in his stroller.  This was the first place Garrett ever tried out swinging.  Now, he's running around in high-water pants (overalls he refused to relinquish even though they're too short now) and sandals, oblivious to the world around him, making up games only he and his brother understand.

While the boys played on the playground, Chris and I found a shady bench nearby.  I leaned my head in the crook of Chris' arm, content and peaceful.  "You know," I said.  "We have lots of happy memories in this park."

"Yes," Chris agreed.  "We've certainly taken lots of walks here."

"Lots of walks, picnics, talks.  I think this is one of my favorite places to be."

We ended our evening with some ice cream from Sheridan's Frozen Custard.  Garrett was almost asleep, but managed to rally and tell the woman at the counter he wanted some "banilla" ice cream.  As we were driving home, it struck me that finally, I feel home.

Tell me about your beautiful days.  I would love to hear them.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara