Family Trip

I've been meaning to write this post for nearly a week now--my, how time flies! So I've finally got something interesting to write about because the week after Father's Day, Mark and I went on a big road trip to see Mark's extended family.

We left home on Sunday morning, and met up with Gran (Mark's mom's mom) and some aunts and uncles as well as one of Mark's cousins, his wife, and their new baby in St. Louis. On Monday, we headed south to Bunker Hill Ranch, where Gran has been hosting a family reunion each summer for longer than Mark can remember. There weren't many other cousins there, but Katie was able to come at the last minute, and Heidi was there with the kids, and we got to see all the aunts and uncles. This year's trip was filled with all the classic activities: card games, party games, bingo, trips to walmart (for the ladies), golfing (for the guys), swimming, canoeing, and kayaking on the river, and so on. I had a blast on the river with Hannah and Zach, but it sure wore me out (and my clumsiness left some bruises!).

In addition to all that typical stuff, we had the pleasant surprise of finding some adorable puppies at the nearby greenhouse. As it turned out, Heidi and the kids picked one out to take home with them. She's adorable! (Coincidentally, they picked the one I thought was the cutest :-). Another good surprise was that the cafeteria there added a salad bar (set up inside a modified canoe--so cute!). So we had lots of fresh veggies to eat, plus they did the smoked ribs again, which I ate more than my fair share of!

On Thursday after breakfast, we all parted ways, and Mark and I, along with Mom, Dad, and Hannah, went on further south to Arkansas to see Mark's Dad's parents. That stretch of road is pretty curvy, and always got Mark carsick. So he takes Dramamine, and I drive. I think the first time I followed Mark's Dad along that route, I was pretty intimidated by it, but this time, I thought it was really fun to race along those winding roads!

While we were in Jonesboro, we continued to play card games, mostly with Mom and Hannah, we walked the mall (and did a small bit of shopping), and we went to see Brave in 3D (we enjoyed it--the plot was definitely not what I had been expecting, but in a good way). We also enjoyed some good food--a pizza buffet, and, for my birthday dinner, Ruby Tuesday followed by Andy's custard. Yum! Mark and I left there on Saturday morning to drive halfway home, staying the night in Kentucky. Then, on Sunday, we came back to BG.

We were tired by then, but I'm glad we were able to go. Now, we're just one week away from our next adventure--Mark's internship in Michigan! But first, some pictures (courtesy of Mom and Dad):

Before bingo.

Gran and grandkids after bingo.

The Cook branch of the family.

Board games on the porch.

Enjoying the ribs!

Uncle Mark plays b-ball.

On the mini-golf course.

Katie with her first favorite puppy.

Zach trying to make his pick.

Hannah with the puppy they ended up bringing home.

Me with the runner up. (Look at all that fur!)

At my b-day dinner.

Frozen custard--yum!

Dad with Grandpa.