In this family, our favorite thing to do in the evening is…stay home. (Yes, I know. We’re very exciting.)

We might choose to read, or play games, or watch a DVD together. Or we might each retreat to a different room with a book. But we like to be in our house. Especially as the days grow shorter, we all feel a call to hibernate a bit as evening approaches. We eat dinner together, clean up, and then settle in.

Not every night — there are things we do after dinner, things like church or piano lessons or school functions or errands. But if we have the choice… we like to cozy up inside. It’s just what we do.

Especially me.

So it may have come as a surprise Sunday evening when I asked Chad if he was in the mood to go out. I had been (hopelessly) battling a growing desire for a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, and it just so happened that it was a warm day, and the leaves around here are in their full autumn splendor. I thought it only made sense to combine those factors into a Grab-a-Coffee-and-Go-For-a-Walk-In-The-Park outing.

Chad quickly agreed and called the kids into the room to let them know we were going out.

“What? We’re going somewhere? Where are we going?” from the tween.

And, “Mom, can you bring some water for me in case I get thirsty?” from the preschooler.

So we headed out. We swung by Starbucks for the aforementioned latte (plus one for my accommodating husband, and a non-coffee frappuccino for the tween), and then parked the car near a local walking trail and started walking.

If you ask me, there is not a more perfect kind of day than a calm Sunday in fall when the temperature climbs to a delightful 68 degrees. We enjoyed exactly that kind of perfection.

Chad picked the ideal trail to walk on — we had the place mostly to ourselves.

The kids initially argued a bit about who was going to be the “leader.” Well, the four-year-old argued. The twelve-year-old just kept walking faster. (Which is a form of arguing, I think.) But eventually, they settled into an agreeable leading-together kind of arrangement.

Chad and I walked together and talked about everything from our kids to church leadership. With the kids bounding off ahead of us, it was practically a date.

Picture the beautiful blazing oranges and reds of fall leaves. Picture a paved walking trail winding through the woods, covered with leaves. Picture sunlight streaming through breaks in the trees.

I’m telling you to picture these things because I didn’t have my camera with me. I have no photos to share. But that’s okay. It wasn’t a really a picture-taking kind of moment, even though it was beautiful and delightful. It was more of a treasure-this-time kind of moment. A be-in-the-moment kind of moment.

The leaves crunched and rustled as we walked. The warmth of the day lingered, keeping us comfortable.

Before we knew it, we had made the loop and were back at the car. Our timing was perfect because L.(4) had just announced his desire to go home. He’d had enough walking.

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Yes, we like to stay home. But every once in a while, it’s important to not do that. To be a little spontaneous, to take advantage of a perfect day. To do something different.

And to love every minute of it.