The Wernli Family: Pumpkin "Patch"

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Chris and I have fond memories of celebrating Halloween as kids. Going to haunted houses, corn mazes, on hay rides, drinking hot chocolate or hot apple cider around a campfire, and of course - picking out our Halloween pumpkins from authentic pumpkin patches. My favorite memory is loading my dad's arms up with as many pumpkins as possible and watching him struggle to walk 10 yards in order for us to keep them all! While Chris remembers cutting his own pumpkins off the vines himself! Though we both have bitter cold memories of Trick-or-Treat night (often wearing our winter coats OVER our costumes to keep warm), growing up in the northeast sure made for some great memories.

Whereas here in Florida things seem to be so different, at every time of the year. For example, our girls got to pick their Halloween pumpkins out of Lutheran church parking lot, instead of a real patch or field even. But when Trick-or-Treat night rolled around - everyone could see their adorable costumes, because everyone sits on lawn chairs in their driveways, often with foldable card tables set up to hold their buckets of candy. Its quite a social affair - almost like a neighborhood parade! While I might be glad that my childhood was not spent in Florida, the memories that my girls are making here are not worse - just different. And different is often more fun :-)