Heap's Giant Pumpkin Farm

Have you ever tried to get five busy people together for an hour-long meeting? Well, it’s almost like trying to get my five-person family together for a whole Saturday. Improbable? Probably. But that’s what I wanted.

 My parents asked me what I’d like to do to celebrate my graduation, and I wanted to have the whole family get together one Saturday, go to a farm, and pick apples and pumpkins.

Why apples and pumpkins? Just because I love fall! Talk about coloring your world—autumn gives the world more colors than your HDTV can handle. Aramanth. Scarlet. Cranberry.  Cinnamon. Amber. Gold. Citrine. (who wants to say just plain old red, orange, yellow?)

So, we waited for four months after I got my diploma. When September finally did roll around, we haggled over the Saturdays it contained. I was covetous. I wanted EVERYONE for the ENTIRE day. No cop-outs. No excuses. No sick days.

Hey, I had just surfaced from college. I can be a little bossy.

We finally decided on what Saturday would work for everyone! I did lots of research on the farms in our area (PickYourOwn.org) and, being the Scrooge that I am, eliminated a lot of farms that charged ridiculous amounts. (Come on, people. It’s not like our money grows on trees!) I narrowed it down to about three farms within two hours driving time, and who didn’t charge for every step you took on the farm.

When the day finally came around, I looked out my window to see a cloudy, rainy picture.

Isn’t that just like my life? The day finally comes around, and it’s lousy.

My attitude was lousy, too—my family can testify to that. I kept trying to downplay it—who wants to go picking pumpkins in the rain? It’s going to be muddy. I’m going to freeze. My mascara’s going to run. . .

But we went anyway. It showered steadily for our first hour there, but nobody really noticed. We were simply enthralled by the myriad of pumpkins, gourds, and mums (oh my!).

This girl from the Chicago suburbs was swallowed up with fascination of the farm animals! Did I ever mention that I've always wanted to work at a zoo? When I saw this pig roaming freely, I wondered, "should I pet it, or call the cops?"

The farm also had donkeys, goats, chickens and roosters, and some other bird species (my brother Tony and I think they're pheasants or turkeys).

Then, we lost ourselves, and then rescued ourselves again from within a soybean maze and a giant corn maze.

Finally, we took a hayride out to the fields.

For me, this was the highlight. The five of us had the tractor bed all to ourselves. We all suddenly noticed a cheery blue sky and warm sun. When did this happen? Well, maybe somewhere between the pigs and the corn maze.

Farm life is peaceful, and quiet. At least to those of us who don't have to jerk awake at the sound of the rooster to run outside into the dark morning hours and keep it all going.

I wish everyone would take a day and drive out to a place like this. Experience the quiet, the peace. The contentment. The humbleness. The simple beauty.

"He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys. The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down." (Psalm 104:14-19)

Has anybody else ever been to a farm like this? What do you think? Does it color your world?

Links:

1. Pick Your Own (links directly to their list of pumpkin patches) http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/index.php

2. Heap's Giant Pumpkin Farm (Minooka, Il) http://heapsgiantpumpkinfarm.com/

The Valley of the Shadow of Death

Does anybody else ever feel like the cat??

That's When You Find Yourself

Most girls have the entire lives planned out before they enter the first grade:

1. When I am 16, I will marry Prince Charming

2. My wedding will be in June. My colors will be pink and green, and my dress will look like Ariel’s (The Little Mermaid).

You get the picture. Maybe your life plan doesn’t start like this, but we all (boys, included!) plan our lives somehow.

For me, I wanted to study political science and journalism. My college summers were to be filled with internships with the top dogs (talk shows, news stations, state representatives). I wanted to marry right out of college, live in a big city (Chicago, NYC, DC), and get a job that was important and paid big money.

What happened?

I didn’t get in a car crash and travel to Heaven and back. I didn’t get visited by three spirits.

But some things did happen that changed what I thought about life. It was a kind of identity crisis.

Shortly, I am none of those things that I mentioned before. And sometimes I look back at my dreams for myself and I wish I had done it. I wish I were a fast-talking political pundit. I wish I lived in a chic condo in the big city, making a seven-digit salary. I wish I were married; that somebody would choose to intimately love me.

Right now:

! Job  I am a product of our recession—I’m underemployed, and frustrated in looking for full-time work. I want so badly to support myself, and to stand up on my own two feet.

! Relationship  I’ve never had a close friendship, and am not willing to enter a romantic relationship yet.

! Time  Because I don’t have a full-time job (nor much money to spend!), I have lots of time. I often feel like I’m wasting it because I’m not crazily busy. I’ve grown to love sewing, cross-stitching, audio books, reading , and playing piano.

So all this put together makes me feel like my life is a waste. “Is this my life? This isn’t what I planned. It shouldn’t be like this!”

And then I think, “but is it bad?”  What do you think?

Right now:

! Job  I love being a teacher. I love my four-year-olds. Who else could make me "swim" like a fish down a school hallway, or find me captivated while watching Pooh Bear's Great Adventure, or exuding more patience than an ant moving Mount Everest? When I am with them, I know I can change lives. I love the people I work with. They change me, too, for good; they are concerned about me. And, I love them, too.

! Relationship  Like I just said, I have my kids. I have my co-workers. Actually, I hate calling them co-workers. Some of them have become like a mother to me. Thank you. Also, my family will always be my family. My dad is one of the kindest, most patient people I know. Above all, I've learned that my God loves me and directs my steps. Thank you, Abba.

! Time  Is this a blessing? I’ve made a few crafty things, and enjoyed it. I’ve listened to some inspiring audiobooks, and read some quality literary works. I’ve even taken up piano again. Is it wrong to do this? I don’t believe so. I believe it is a gift.

Maybe these are “blessings in disguise.” No, it isn’t what I planned, but. . .

“When we go through life
So sure of where we're heading
And we wind up lost and it's
The best thing that could have happened
‘Cause sometimes when you lose your way it's really just as well
Because you find yourself
Yeah, that's when you find yourself.”

Yes, I'm happy. I'm blessed, whether I feel like it or not. Thank you, Lord, for being so good to me.

So good ahead and color your life. Be content. Grow where you are planted.

About Me & Color My World

Everyone loves to talk about themselves. And I'm no different.

But since this blog is about helping you find joy, purpose, adventure--whatever colors your world!-- I'll try to only tell you the things about me that will help you see why I'm so passionate about Color My World.

Even though I've recently graduated from college with my BA, I feel more like a Survivor hero. I've had my share of sleepless nights, short-on-sleep nights (which might be worse than the actual sleepless ones), roommates as pleasant as Oscar the Grouch, teachers as helpful as a dead car, and homework lists as long as the equator.

Yes, I have also experienced the heartbreaks, too. I've trusted people as friends and more, only to discover they didn't want to share my life, but to steal from it.

Doesn't everyone have something that has radically changed their life? I do. Does everyone want to talk about it? I don't. Whatever it is (an addiction, a harmful act, a hurtful relationship),  it can make you a hard, bitter person.

Or you can allow it to change your perspective. You can turn your tragedy into a defining moment (or moments, or days, or years).

That's what Color My World is to me.

I've seen how overworked, panicked, and unhappy people are. I was there myself. Maybe Color My World can be part of the therapy you need to rescue you from your "depths of despair"--your stress, guilt, and loneliness.

I'm not a doctor, but I want to help.

Feel free to ask me questions in the "comment" sections of any post. My email address is listed, so also feel free to contact me!

Now take out an easel and paintbrushes, prepare to get messy, and color your world!

This post was reprinted from the "About" section of Color My World.
Keep coming back for new posts!

Michelle's Blog:

Michelle's Blog:
Please go to this blog and read her post about forgiving and accepting yourself.
Life is dull and colorless without it.