October has been one of my favorite months since our children were little. One Sunday after church, my husband surprised us by taking us to Jonomac’s Orchard to pick apples. Little did we know this would be a family tradition we continued for years and years. My husband’s favorite thing to do at Jonomac’s was the corn maze. Our girls' favorite part was watching their dad humorously lead the way from start to finish even though we were positive he did not know what he was doing. But, the most endearing part was a huge rocking chair in front of the store.
Every year, we took a picture of the girls sitting side-by-side in the chair.
The first year’s picture was always my favorite because they were so tiny and adorable sitting in a chair made for a giant.
Once our children started going off to college, it was hard going every year when some of them were not there. A few years ago, when it was just our youngest (Princess #4) home, she said she didn’t want to go to the Orchard. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. We were upset that our family tradition was coming to an end. Of course, we knew it would one day happen, just maybe not so soon.
Then the following Sunday, when I got home from church, Princess #4 said she was taking us for a ride with her boyfriend. To our surprise- you guessed it, we arrived at Jonomacs.
After a quick picture with our youngest and her boyfriend, we headed towards the store for some famous apple cider and donuts. As we approached the door, I saw three beautiful girls that looked quite familiar sitting with a sign saying “At The Heart of Every Family Tradition is a Meaningful Experience.” Their dad almost missed them, clearly with the donuts on his mind. Our daughters flew and drove in to be with us. I can’t tell you how much it meant to us. Our girls knew how important this family tradition is to us.
This year, all of our Princesses were here to celebrate our 30th Wedding anniversary, which we would not trade for the world. But, as October rolled in quicker than a breeze, my husband and I were itching for a trip to pick fresh apples. Of course, it was not the same, but it did bring back memories we laughed about while picking apples. Jonomac Orchard has expanded by leaps and bounds since we started going 20 years ago.
We have a few more family traditions I will share in the coming months with you. I would love to hear some of your family traditions.