Family...you gotta love 'em

We had our annual family reunion for my husband's family about 8 months after the last one. I know I said annual, but the organizer decided that June was a better time to have the reunion because there would be less things for it to conflict with. Let me just say that the reunion was on the exact same date as my dad's family reunion in Oklahoma. However, we had already made reservations for the Hare family reunion so...away we went. (Side note here: Thank you, Lord, for that decision since Daddy said that his reunion was a bust...few showed up...no food...people sang and clogged...yes, I said clogged. Need I say more?)

The reunion was held at a lakeside "resort" at Lake Palestine. Resort is one of those words that has different meanings to different people. I think, "Hmmm. Resort. Plush, expensive, catered, pampered." Not so much. Our room had two twin beds with just enough room to walk between them, a decent television on a night stand, a counter with a sink, a toilet that was crammed into a space so small that you got a cramp in your back twisting around to get the toilet paper mounted on the wall behind you because there literally was no other space, and a shower big enough to get wet in. Not exactly plush...but it served the purpose.

The real purpose of a family reunion is to spend time with family...and that we did. On Friday night we each took care of our own meal but we gathered outside the travel trailers for homemade milkshakes...::snicker::...it was supposed to be ice cream! We sat outside with our glow necklaces on and chatted about anything and everything. It was relaxing.

On Saturday we gathered together at lunch as more family came in for the day. We had a giant fish fry (and chicken strips for those of us that detest eating bottom dwellers)followed by more sitting around rehashing old stories and general conversation about who is doing what now. Some of us napped in preparation for another late night. As we gathered together that evening for a hotdog cookout we broke out the light-up glasses to go with the glow necklaces. We sat around again, eating, drinking margaritas and just being comfortable with each other. It was a great night.

Sunday morning we slept in...gathered our belongings and headed for home...comfortable in the fact that we had spent quality time with the people who mean the most to us.

What did we do besides eat, drink and talk? Well,....some of the kids went fishing (as did some of the bigger kids, Keith)...some went swimming in the lake...the teens seemed to sit around comparing their cell phones and what each would do...that's pretty much it. An entire weekend of not having anything that you had to do...relaxation!

I've included some pics so that anyone not there can see what they missed. I know, you'll be jealous, but I can live with that!

"Ice Cream"


Beautiful Lakeside Sunsets


Trailer Talk





Koby's fishing prep


Sandy's "baby", Puggles


The Fish Fry




Hot Dog Fun


Serene Sunday Morning

I've been busy, okay?

Okay...the best you can expect from me is a blog entry about every 4 to 6 weeks unless something phenomenal happens (like I get kidnapped by extraterrestrials, I win the lottery, etc.). So, without further ado, let me bring you up to date...

On May 2nd we left for a 12 day train trip to the northeast. Our first stop was Chicago..after an extended stay on the train. It was only supposed to take a little over 21 hours to travel from Dallas to Chicago. However, just the other side of Mineola we were delayed for over 6 hours because thunderstorms and tornadoes had moved through in front of us and deposited large amounts of debris on the tracks. We arrived in Chicago a full 8 hours after our scheduled arrival. Starving to death (because they hadn't planned on or stocked up on supplies for dinner) we threw our luggage in our room and left in search of food. ANY food. We stumbled upon a little pizza joint called Pizzaria Due. They claim that the real Chicago deep-dish pizza originated in their establishment. Can't swear to that...but I can tell you it was, without a doubt, the best pizza I have ever eaten...and not because we were soooo hungry. I might mention here that their margaritas were quite good as well...and they kept coming to the table.

In Chicago we were able to visit the Navy Yard (a boardwalk), take a trip to the top of the Sears Tower (which now has another name which nobody can remember), take an architectural tour down the river, and visit Millenium Park (a cool little area where they have concerts and cool stuff).

After Chicago we got back on the train and headed to New York. All the things you hear about New York...they're true. It truly is the city that never sleeps. Times Square was hopping at all hours of the day and night. If you can't walk fast you'd better get out of the way here because they will run over you...literally. In New York we went to see Jersey Boys on Broadway. Wow! It was incredible. The actor who plays Frankie Valli sounds like the real deal. They were awesome!! We also went, of course, to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. While still incredible, Lady Liberty wasn't as big as I had pictured her to be. She is still a sight to behold, though. We took a open deck bus tour through Chinatown, Harlem, Manhattan, etc., and we got a peek at the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park. We went to the observation deck at the top of Rockefeller Center and we were on the evening weather report. The weatherwoman was broadcasting from the Top of the Rock and she asked us to stand behind her to look like a crowd. When we started to leave we ran into (almost literally) Leonard Nimoy (Spock from Star Trek), Zachary Quinto (bad guy on Heroes who plays Spock in the new movie), Joan Rivers (who had just won Celebrity Apprentice and was there filming Jimmy Kimmell) and Rachel Ray (also on Kimmell's show). Of course, there were dozens of pictures taken and we felt like we were paparazzi.

After three days of New York we got back on the train and headed to Washington, DC. We did the typical tourist thing in DC and visited all of the main monuments. The problem in DC was that we were there on Mother's Day and everything was shut down for the holiday. We did however, make it the the Smithsonian American History Museum and got to see the new display for Old Glory. I keep saying "incredible" because it was.

This trip, which we took with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, was a double anniversary trip. Ronnie and I celebrated our 30th anniversary on May 4th at the Capitol Grille in Chicago. Glen and Carlene celebrated their 13th anniversary on the same date with us. Somehow, the train trip home didn't seem quite so long as the trip up.

Enjoy the few pics I have posted.
Chicago:
Pizzaria Due


Millenium Park


New York:
Lady Liberty


Ellis Island with NY in the background


Top of the Rock with Empire State Bldg. in background


Weatherwoman


Leonard Nimoy


Zachary Quinto


Joan Rivers


Rachel Ray



Washington, DC
Our reflection in the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall


The White House


Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetary


Arlington National Cemetary


Jefferson Memorial (always my favorite)


Ronnie & Glen in the soup line at FDR's memorial