Every year I make ask Sal to go pumpkin picking with me. It's another one of those seasonal traditions that winds up being on my fall bucket list. The scents of fall make it easier to breathe, and so being outside in the sweet, breezy weather is something I wish more people would do. We get too caught up in the hustle of every day life, crossing off things on your long to-do lists, staring at screens all day, always looking to see what the next person is doing. If more people took rides up to the countryside, and walked in the open fields, soaking up every color of every leaf, I think we'd see many more smiles and wide eyes.
After our kickboxing class, Sal and I decided to head up to Alstede Farms, where we were going to pick our own pumpkins. We went there last year, and knew it was a great farm, with rows and rows of pumpkins, tons of other vegetables and fruits to pick, a corn maze, and what really stood out to us - a wine tasting, from a nearby winery. We had been looking forward to going back, even though it's always nice to try new things and go to new places, sometimes you just have to go with what you know.
I jumped in the car, with a slight headache, but I thought it would go away with some fresh air. I rolled down the window as we took our semi-long drive to the farm. By the time we were about ten minutes away, the headache had become unbearable. I quickly asked Sal to stop and buy me some Advil, something I try not to take. This time though, I knew I wasn't going to be able to battle through the pain. I downed some water with the pills and hoped that the headache would pass. I spent some extra time in the car when we arrived to the farm, but as time passed, I soon realized that it was not going to get better. I took a deep breath, after much whining, and got out of the car. We headed to the tractor that would take us to the pumpkin field, and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. Thankfully there weren't too many people around considering it was quite early in the weekday. I was hunched over, and as soon as we got on the tractor, I immediately regretted the decision. I wanted to turn around, go back to the car where I could at least curl up in peace.
When we got off of the tractor, I ran to the porto-potty, thinking I was going to throw up... I didn't, but I had never felt so terrible in as long as I can remember. I opened the door and immediately started crying to Sal, how I felt so terrible that I was ruining the day, and that I only wanted to feel better. He calmed me, like he always does, and told me we could pick our pumpkins quick and head back. It usually takes me a while to pick my pumpkin, but I literally walked into the field, and found what I thought was a perfect size pumpkin for carving, not perfectly round, but close enough. Sal was glad that this whole process was going much faster than previous years, although it took him a bit longer to find his own pumpkin.
I didn't want to wait and then head back on the tractor, so we decided to walk back, which was a great idea until we realized just how far away we were, and even worse when the rain drops started to fall. When we got back we paid for our pumpkins. I thought ginger ale might help me, so we bought a bottle, and as I sipped that magic through a straw, I asked Sal if he wanted to walk around to feed the animals. I thought it was the least I could do after he dealt with me whining and crying. He was like a little child, walking up to all of the animals and letting them eat the food from my hand. I'm not one to feed the animals as it is, and being sick made me no different... I let Sal have all of the fun.
When we headed back home, the ginger ale started to help out, and I was slowly starting to feel better, but still not my normal self, so needless to say when we got home, we got comfy and cuddled up in bed, watching Army Wives (my obsessions lately) and a movie. By the end of the night, I felt much better, and knew that in the morning, this little sickness would be gone. Would I rather have went pumpkin picking on a different day? Absolutely. Would I have made any of those memories we made that day? Probably not. I am so glad we went, but I hope next year is even better... because we never did get to drink that wine!
