Doe Creek Apple Picking

Our annual apple picking adventure never disappoints. We left with bags full of apples, full hearts, and apple desserts on our minds!

If I could dream up the perfect apple picking weather, it would be chilly, crisp, and overcast. There's just nothing cozier nor more fall-like. So when this weekend's forecast looked like my apple-picking dreams were coming true, I held my breath that the weatherman was right. And even though there was a slight drizzle, the weather did not disappoint. It was exactly as I had hoped for. Not only was the weather superb, but so were the majestic mountains, a stunning backdrop that makes you pinch yourself.

Funny little story about our apple picking adventure...we had originally planned to go with friends on Friday. We hustled to get out of the door on time after oversleeping due to Wells sleeping through the entire night. Somehow, we got all five of us ready and on the road just five minutes after we planned to. A miracle, friends. And then I had this gut feeling that I needed to double check the orchard's hours. I kid you not, the orchard was closed - an update I had missed since I had checked just a couple of days before.

Luckily, we were able to adjust our plans, enjoy Starbucks + pastries and reschedule for the next morning. Of course, Saturday morning we woke with plenty of time to prepare and ended up leaving way later than planned. Isn't that how it goes?! Regardless, we had the best time! I love watching my girls and their zeal for plucking (way too many!) apples and spending time with friends. The feeling of autumn and just overall goodness was certainly in the air. We left with a bunch of apples, cider for sipping, apple syrup for all the pancakes, and good spirits to last the weekend.

So here are a whole lot of photos of a whole lot of joy! I promise you don't want to miss the photos toward the end :)

Let me just stop to talk about this girl of mine. This makes her fifth year apple picking, and I love her love for our traditions. There was a photo just like the one above from our second apple picking experience with her, and I can't believe how much she has changed. She's a beauty from the inside out, and I can't get enough of enthusiasm for life.

Quinn in the orchard...what's not to love?! She was a free spirit and happy to grab any apple within her reach. She kept up apple-for-apple with Greer. And those humidity-induced curls make my heart sing!

Five of us. I cannot get over it, and I hope I never do. I love these four people immensely, and this is our first photo of all of us that wasn't taken during a photoshoot. This is us doing life, and it's everything I ever hoped for. This picture (and the one below) just slays me. I am the luckiest.