The FFFF

 The Final Family Fall Fling looked a little different this year.  This is officially the latest FFFF we've ever had, which has been a great blessing because the warm weather has made the time without a furnace a little more bearable.  And while we debated going back to Jester Park for our traditional FFFF, this year the big day looked like staying at home

and enjoying one more picnic in the treehouse. 

 

Silly Adam! You can't get out that way. 

The FFFF looked like saying goodbye to the trampoline for the winter, 

and trying to remember all of the games that were played on it this year, including Baked Potato, Fat Chicken, Jimmy Neutron Tag, Tuna Casserole, Demon Baby, Shrek Tag, The Ball is Lava and Storm the Castle. 

It looked like starting the work of cleaning up the last mess of trees from the derecho, 

and building up a nice big fire to take care of all those limbs.  We're essentially back where we started when we moved in with just one massive pile of dead wood that now has what is most likely a dead raccoon nestled into it that we will continue to whittle away at with every fire we build. 

And the FFFF looked like checking out the fuller of the two creeks that run through our backyard. 

There was no hike in the woods this year, but once the sun set and the work had to stop the time around the fire was the same as always.  We told told stories about when we were little kids, like when Auntie Michelle got mad at Daddy and Auntie Jenny for arguing outside her bedroom and waking her up, and the time that Uncle Aaron and Uncle Jared flew my underwear up a flagpole at a lake house in upstate New York! 

It was a productive day and a lovely night and the most important element of the FFFF was there- time spent together as a family. 

This time last year we didn't really think that the FFFF would be forever changed, but the tradition is still alive and strong. 

Just a little closer to home.