It was gooood to be away, if only for a little while. It was a true breath of fresh air. There were many things to be thankful for this year, although documenting what was cooked and shared for our meal was, sadly, not one of them. There's just always too much going on right before dinner to even think about it.

We first headed to Oak Glen for some apple picking, only to find out that the first frost of the season had come only days before. So no picking, but still lots of delicious varieties to be had. It was deeply chilly (about 34 degrees) up there which I do believe was the coldest my children have ever been. Nico could barely hold his hot cider. "It's so cold i'm going to die!" he yelled. It was hard not to giggle at how serious he was.

It was hard to believe we could go from the frosty mountains with its red and gold-leafed maple and chesnut trees, to the dry and warm(er) desert just below in just over an hour. Later in the weekend, Matt and I were even able to take one evening for ourselves at the lovely Colony Palms Hotel. We even tried to get our dance on at the Ace in a room filled with big boobs and long hair, until we realized I was the only woman in the room.