leah and (other) steve's wedding - a halsey family album

My cousin Leah got married this past weekend on a beautiful September day here in the Midwest.  Her husband is the perfect match for her, and also happens to be named Steve.  Since my Steve was introduced to the family two+ years ago, we have been jokingly referring to Leah's Steve as the "Other Steve" - too many Steves gets to be confusing!  We will find a better name for him soon.

Almost all of my dad's side of the family was able to join in on the fun, so the weekend also felt like a family reunion of sorts.  I did a terrible job of documenting the wedding itself, but have plenty of family pictures that I want to keep track of.  So I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the members of the Halsey clan!

danville

This past weekend was great.  On Saturday, my dear friend Larissa and I headed out to my hometown for some classic "fall" activities - pumpkin patch picking, apple cider tasting, and corn maze wandering at Beasley's Orchard.  When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the orchard was in the middle of celebrating its Heartland Apple Festival, which meant food and activities galore! 

We began our festival tour with some samples from a local winery, which had the most unusual flavored wines.  I enjoyed their Christmas wine, while Larissa's favorite was the Thanksgiving-themed cranberry wine. 

Next up was the General Store.  There were so many pumpkins on display out front that we had to resist the urge to swoop several up then and there.  We waited to get our own pumpkins from the pumpkin patch instead... and our patience definitely paid off.  More on that later. 

It wouldn't be a General Store without some delicious homemade apple cider.

 

Beasley's makes its own jams and jellies in tons of flavors.  My favorite is the Apple Butter, which is dangerously delicious. 

 

Next stop: a hayride to the pumpkin patch!

The pumpkin patch was huge with so many pretty pumpkins to choose from.  Larissa got straight to work picking her pumpkin straight off the vine. 

Success!

We wound up taking home these three little beauties. 

 After a quick break for 50 cent bottled waters (yes, they only cost 50 cents!!), it was time for the infamous corn maze.  The corn maze at Beasley's changes every year, and this year's theme was a hot dog.  We had ten clues to help us get through the maze and made no only a few wrong turns.  All in all, we made it out alive after about 45 minutes.

 

Isn't this lady just gorgeous?  It was her first (non-haunted) corn maze experience and she manuevered it like a pro!

 We worked up quite an appetite after the corn maze, so after a few final purchases at the General Store (including caramel apples, yum) we headed into downtown Danville for lunch at this gem. 

The Mayberry Cafe is Danville's crowning glory and has been around since before I was born.  Hoosiers travel from far and wide to eat there.  It has an Andy Griffith theme (of course), and was a must for our excursion.   

 

We devoured some delicious cheeseburgers and snacked on Mayberry's famous cinnamon butter with bread, while all the meanwhile episodes of the Andy Griffith Show played in the background.  Being in that restaurant and walking around the downtown square really brought me back to my childhood.  It was really special for me to share my sweet hometown with such a beloved friend.  And I think she enjoyed seeing how small-town Hoosiers like to celebrate fall-time.

 Danville, you were wonderful (as always).  Until next time!