STAFF NOTE: Paint pumpkins and play paintball

Fall is my favorite season, no competition. Since I grew up and live in Wisconsin, I wait for all nine months of winter (It feels so long, OK?) for the one month of autumnal bliss: frozen morning lawns that make that first cup of coffee even better; Tree leaves bring their warm color palette to life; and not sweating or freezing as soon as I go outside.

I also love fall activities, and there is no shortage of them in Wisconsin. In the Chippewa Valley, we are fortunate to be just a short drive from many local farms that are open for the public to try their hand at a corn maze or pick pumpkins. About a week ago, instead of carving pumpkins, my best friend and I painted pumpkins and decorated them with ghosts – hers with pink-cheeked smiles and mine with big, spooky eyes. I also went to Connell’s Orchard, enjoyed an apple cider slushie, as one does, and picked apples. This past weekend I participated in another activity that I hope becomes a fall tradition: family paintballing.

My partner’s family – including his father, sister, stepmother and two stepsisters and their friends – have gone to Osseo’s Battlefield Paintball a few times now solve some problems We have some good old fashioned competitions and lots of fun. My friend has a welt on his back because he got sick; I shot his father in the ass and he responded by giving me a facemask right away; and I accidentally almost shot one of the sisters’ friends in the pants. I highly recommend spending some time with your family this fall sort your feelings out on the paintball battlefield.