Big Red Barn

One of my favorite memories growing up was the "Barn Party" that the youth group had every year. It's one of those things I love so much I wish I could find a way to recreate it...but it just wouldn't be the same. It wasn't just the party itself, but most definitely the people...and let's not forget that it was in Iowa. Ah, those were the days.

You see, Iowa has the perfect fall weather (granted, I'm biased in that regard and am aware many people might disagree). It's almost as if you smell it coming...as the air becomes crisp and cool, the leaves begin to change color and eventually the sound you hear out your windows is the light tickle of leaves as they blow in the breeze across the yard and crunch under the feet of people passing by. At some point in the season you begin to catch a waif of burning leaves (which, mind you, is a glorious smell) and soon you know winter will be approaching. All of it makes me feel warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. I also feel the need to put on a sweatshirt.

There was a big red barn that we returned to every year. It was in pristine condition in a quiet, country location. Every year we would build a big bonfire (a requirement for fall weather in Iowa...it gets pretty chilly!), have "hay wars" on the hayride (which, FYI, is REALLY itchy if it gets in your sweatshirt, but makes hayrides so much more fun!) and play duck tape ball, flashlight laser tag or some form of capture the flag. The downstairs of the barn was a "haunted maze" and an area for chili and hot cocoa. But my favorite part, my absolute favorite part, was the "hayloft movies". We would cover the bails of hay in the hayloft with blankets and watch a movie projected onto a screen made out of a white sheet hanging from the rafters. I couldn't tell you one movie we watched, but I could paint a picture of that loft in all its glory. Funny thing is, it probably isn't as amazing as I remember it to be, but that's okay. It will still be tucked away in my memory as absolute perfection.

I'm pretty sure if I had the chance to re-live that memory, I might just die from pure bliss. Oh, what I would give for a big red barn of my own.

And a 4-wheeler.

But that's another story :).