So there I was waking up in what would now be my new home away from home. You know when you try something new and your heart beats like crazy because of the excitement and fear that you are feeling? That was me. I was sooo excited to be there and I wanted to see what the area had to offer. I had a few days to drive around and check it out before my orientation with the company that I work for. But I will get to that later. Right now it was about getting to know the area.
I was talking to young Martin (who is like a brother to me) who was living there in Elkhart as well. He told me about some of the places to go and see. And when he told me about visiting the Amish community that was only 15 miles down the road I knew that’s where I was headed. I have always heard about the Amish community but living in California I had never gotten to experience it for myself.
The drive was absolutely beautiful. I made it back to Indiana October of 2016. I was 26 years old and living out one of my dreams. The fall colors out in Indiana were to die for. All the trees were vibrant in color. The skies were blue with some clouds and I just remember thinking this is amazing and exactly where I need to be at this time in my life.
All of a sudden I see a buggy in front of me and I remember my heart beating with a little more with excitement. Because I had never seen a horse and buggy jogging down the side of an interstate before. I realized that I had made it to the Amish Community.
Now there is an amazing store in Shipshewana Indiana called E&S sales. If you are every in the area take the time to stop. Not only is it a grocery store it is also a place to buy hand crafted outdoor furniture, cabins, and many other amazing handmade items. One of the neatest things to me is that aside from a normal parking lot for vehicles the side of the building is dedicated to buggy parking. The horses and buggy’s are a sight to see. And the homemade goodies that the Amish make are amazing. The breads and pastries are to die for.
Across from E&S Sales is a pretzel shop called Ben’s Pretzel and that is also always on my list when I am in the area. I mean how do you pass up a homemade pretzel? The answer to that is you don’t.
Driving around I saw some of the prettiest colors, amazing farm land and was just soaking it all in. I had no idea how amazing the fall colors could be and seeing them in person is something everyone should do. Little did I know that in a few short days I would get to see even more of those amazing fall colors. 
Liz's Gypsy Journey 