From Friday to Monday morning, all 17 of us — including my California-based uncle to my grandmother's now grown foreign exchange student Fernando and his partner Kim — split our time between my folks' house and my grandmother's, mostly coming up with excuses to eat.
Every time we get together with the family, Julian has grown and changed enough that they have to get to know him all over again. This time, he was entertaining them with jokes, songs ("Little Bunny Foo-Foo" is a favorite right now) and observations about Missouri. He was such a trooper on the way up there. Nearly 12 hours without a DVD player or other electronic device to keep him entertained. I know, I know; we're draconian parents, but we'd rather break up the trips with rest stops than turn him into a car-riding zombie.
I brought two cameras, three if you count my iPhone, but didn't take nearly as many photos as I should have. I guess I spend so much time trying to photograph things for my blog and work that it's nice to have a break from capturing everything in a picture.
I was happiest when stealing moments with just a few members of my family away from the group. Chelsea, Nick and I went flea market shopping in Springfield before meeting up with our cousin Christian for pizza. Chelsea and I pulled ourselves out of bed at 8 a.m. on Saturday go with GaGa to the farmers market.
We had a nice celebration for GaGa at my parents' house on Saturday night where I was in charge of prompting the stories and laughter. I came up with top 10 lists (top 10 reasons GaGa should be on Facebook, top 10 reasons she really goes to San Diego every year, top 10 reasons I hope she never stops cooking) and once the ball got rolling, everyone, especially my uncles and mom, started opening up and sharing memories. Having us all in one room was so special. GaGa is in such good health, and she is the reason we're all so well adjusted and have such giving spirits.
My Aunt Betsy, who never minces her words, said some of the most poignant things about GaGa and her lasting impact on the family she married into. After everyone pitched in to throw a flawless reception at the community center in Aurora on Sunday, she made note of the fact that there was not one fight, spat, disagreement or even a tense moment the entire day, the entire weekend in fact. Most families can't even make it through a Thanksgiving dinner without some drama.
"You are the reason that our family is so open, outgoing and service-oriented," she told GaGa later. "You have passed that legacy on to us. Not every family is so blessed."
After the family-filled weekend, it was time to start meandering back to Austin. We wanted to take our time, hopefully canoeing and camping along the way. Rain killed our canoeing plans, but we stayed in an awesome cabin in the Ouachita Mountains in Southeast Oklahoma and we camped at Cooper Lake just northeast of Dallas.
It was nice to spend some time just with the boys. The weather was perfect for sleeping and cooking outside, and Ian finally got to go fishing with Julian.
It was good to get back home, where summer is definitely underway. The garden has exploded, the AC is on and my belly is getting big. 2010 is flying by. I hope you all are taking time to enjoy it.
1 comment:
It was such a special weekend, our family is truly the best. I love you!
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