This past weekend we went away with our friends to Amish Country:  Lancaster, PA.  We stayed in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast for one night – it is an active farm, and it kept our kids active!  They loved the whole experience… feeding the baby goats; gathering eggs; taking a hayride; jumping into hay from the barn swing.

There were tears when we had to leave the farm;  every day the kids have asked when we are going back to the farm.  It was teacher’s convention for New Jersey, so all schools were closed on Thursday and Friday… it was a great chance to get away with our good friends.  We had actually briefly considered the crazy notion of all driving down to Orlando, FL for those 4 or 5 days (about a 16 hour drive each way).  The cost, and the time, made us decide against it.

As we were enjoying the simple pleasures of the farm, I thought about how different our experience was there compared to what it would have been at DisneyWorld.  Hard to compare;  but there was a certain beauty to the simplicity of this rhythmed lifestyle that all of us seemed to greatly appreciate. As we roasted marshmallows under a beautiful clear night sky our first evening, I felt like we were really ALIVE.  I didn’t mind the kids staying up until 10 pm.  I know they’ll remember those days for a long, long time.  And all the kids want farm animals — who knows — move over Molly?