Family Trip

Note: I wrote this a couple of days ago and intended to add pictures before I posted it. But, since I still haven't downloaded the pics, I thought I'd better go ahead and get this up. I may or may not add a few pics later.

We got back in town on Sunday after our long trip to visit family. We were first in ABQ for a few days, then went with Mark's parent's and Katie to Arkansas to visit his dad's family, then up to Missouri for the annual reunion with his mom's side. They spend a few days each summer at a camp called Bunker Hill. It had been 5 years since Mark and I last went, so we were really glad to be able to do it this year. On the drive both going and coming we stayed with Mark's older sister and her family (we slept in our nephew's bunk beds, which was kind of fun). She and the kids also came to Bunker Hill, and we got to share a cabin with them. I think most of my readers are family who already know about our adventures on this trip, so I'll just mention a few highlights.

In ABQ, my mom hosted a nice open house for me to see friends from work and church. I really enjoyed having some time to catch up with people, some of whom I really hadn't seen since we moved out to Tucson. Mom's food was also great. I was also able to swim in Grandma's pool one afternoon, which was super nice (except that I got sunburned). On Sunday morning, Mark and I went to Mars Hill, where one of our good friends recently joined the staff.

On our trip with Mark's family, we enjoyed seeing Mark's grandparents again. They lived in ABQ for a couple of years and moved back to Arkansas the same summer we moved to Tucson. While we were there, we walked the mall with Grandpa in the mornings and went to see a couple movies. I really enjoyed the new Karate Kid with Jackie Chan (although Mark and Katie weren't impressed).

At Bunker Hill, we got to catch up with Mark's aunts and uncles on his mom's side and his grandmother. I met one of Mark's cousins that I hadn't met yet, too. We spent a lot of time playing cards in our air-conditioned cabin (the A/C was a first at Bunker Hill). I also joined in on a hike down to a cave on the property, and played in the river with our niece and nephew. It was really fun.

After all that, we started making our way back to ABQ, which meant two more days of driving. By that time, we were all ready to take a break from being in the car. So, Mark and I spent one more day in ABQ to break it up a little before heading home to Tucson. I also celebrated my birthday on the road, in Oklahoma City, and again in ABQ and Tucson. Mark and I ate at the Cheesecake Factory, which I'd never been to before. It was really good. I'll only turn 25 on the 25th once, so I tried to make the most of it. :- )

Now that we're home, we're really just getting ready for the move. We've picked up and packed some more boxes from the English department, and started making a plan to get the rest done. I hope to enjoy our last week and a half in Tucson, despite the crazy heat!