This weekend was filled with family fun. Saturday started with gymnastics for both girls followed by our annual Hunter/Bennett pumpkin patch adventure. The pumpkins were a little picked over, go figure, it was the Saturday before Halloween. But each child managed to find their "perfect" pumpkin.
Sunday brought another pumpkin patch trip. This time up to Scholz Farms in Orting, for Jackson Bonham's 2nd birthday. It was a cold...a downright frigid day in Orting, but the girls were enjoying themselves and I was enjoying spending time with Kelsey and her family. And then near tragedy. It happened in the blink of an eye, literally. The four of us, Andy, myself, Georgia and Natalie were standing together in the party room talking with someone when Georgia was gone. Andy ran out the back, I out the front...no Georgia. Andy circled around, no Georgia. Now remember we are at a pumpkin patch, people coming and going, she could be anywhere. Of course my thoughts instantly go to "she could be in the back of someone's car driving out of the pumpkin patch as we stand here searching." The staff at the pumpkin patch were amazing. As soon as they heard me screaming her name, they came over "what is she wearing, how old is she?" They fanned out and started looking. Mind you at this point probably 45 seconds has gone by, but it feels like 45 minutes. She was probably gone for 2 minutes...it felt like two hours. My eyes had begun to well up as I was certain this is the moment every parent dreads. Suddenly, I hear "they found her!" Georgia had casually walked out of the corn maze, unconcerned because she knew she was not lost. I can't fathom what parents go through who have missing children. I can't understand how they continue living. I was ready to give up my life after just two minutes of not knowing.
