Hale Farm and VIllage

Today was Mia's first field trip at school.  Mia's teacher had worked at Hale Farm, so the school decided to visit.  I have to be honest I have gone before and wasn't real excited about this trip, in fact i went somewhat begrudgingly. I packed lunch and snack for Mia and I, gathered the appropriate gear (hat, gloves, boots etc.) and headed out.We drove separate from the rest of the children as it didn't make sense to drive to school and then drive to Hale Farm.  I guess i should mention that we used to live a few miles from  Hale Farm and loved our home but had to sell quickly because of divorce, economy and a "lemon" of a house.  I was really nervous to drive there because this trip brought back lots of memories - some wonderful and some not so great. Heading down the highway it was beginning to warm up and the sun came out. I opened the window a pinch and enjoyed the fresh air.  It really hasn't felt like Fall to me this year but the smell of leaves and crisp air with the warm sun was a beautiful way to start our trip.  As we became closer to Hale Farm we started talking about things we remembered from our old house.  Many things were mentioned.  There was a memory of a dozen baby chicks delivered to our home and started on our sunporch in a chicken brooder or when our mostly blind miniature  pinscher fell in the pond and was swimming in circles headed nowhere but farther from land, or when an entire pack of coyote passed thru our yard to get to their home. There were memories of coming home to chickens running lose down our street and lost landscaping due to said chickens running lose. The closer we got the more we started to remember and i was amazed at all Mia had mentioned.  Her first sleepover with her best friend, fond memories of her preschool,and Santa visiting on a firetruck or playing under the trees with a table  and kitchen made by daddy.  We arrived at Hale Farm and it seemed like we had just started on our trip, i couldn't believe how quickly time had passed, and i was soon to realize this was how our whole day was to be.  The rest of our school arrived a short time later so we grabbed our lunches to throw in the class lunch basket and headed in.  We thought we would be experiencing a guided tour but somewhere along the line there was confusion and we were on our own.  We were not to be disappointed because we had Miss Mary the children's teacher and our guide for the day. We walked from building to building all reminiscent of what life used to be.  A blacksmith shop, a small cabin, where the children learned it was the boys duty to clean the chamber pot and that the walls of the cabin were made of poop and dirt!, we walked to the fiber room and learned about dying wool and spinning wool, and then on to a typical village of that time.  We saw pigs and chickens and wooly bears along the way.  The children walked, skipped and ran along the stone path from building to building.  We got to the final destination and we all realized it was time to go!  We had been there a little over 5 hours and again it felt like we just arrived!  The day could not of been any nicer , we made it through with no major mishaps or arguments .  We walked back to our cars with rosy cheeks, stones in our shoes, chit chatting amongst ourselves  and the memory of such an amazing day. We ended our day together joining hands and reciting a closing verse.  As we walked back to our car both Mia and I felt a "natural high".  Life could not get any better than this!