An Afternoon with Cousins!

We were blessed to spend an afternoon with several of my cousins and uncle's family.  We met for a meal at Mod Pizza and hung out at my uncle's house.  I had a great time!

Kylen's taller!

This place is actually pretty good!  It's like Subway, only for pizza.  Great lemonade and milkshakes with mix-ins.

We all signed the sticker.

My uncle's stress reliever is making cookies.  Sweet, right??!

I am told this is something grandma used to do.  I miss her.

This beautiful girl is going to be part of the family soon!

My Arizona cousin and his family.

My aunt, her son, and a cousin from Cali!

My Helpers :)

My Brother's Family

We had my brother's family over last weekend.  It was wonderful getting to see him, his beautiful wife, and their sweet little girl.  Looking forward to next time!  I don't know how I managed to not get any pics of us playing Smash Bros.  Guess I was too busy battling!!

My Sister's Family

My sister's family spent the evening with us recently, and we really enjoyed our time with them.  We had dinner, hung out in the yard, and played Smash Brothers.

Day Trip to Missoula

We took a lovely day trip to Missoula on Sunday to attend a wedding reception.  It is one of my favorite drives, three hours each way.  The scenery is fabulous!  We enjoyed seeing many of our Montana relatives.  Afterwards, we ate dinner at an Asian restaurant and checked out a couple spots by the river.  I've been wanting to do that each time we go, so I'm glad we finally did!

Kylen drove 3 1/2 of the six hours . . . at highway speeds . . . on curvy roads through mountains and next to water and steep drop-offs . . . My stressing out in the back was all for nought - he did really well.

The happy couple.  :)

My sister's boys.  It was a pleasant surprise running into them.  I love these two!

We found this restaurant called Face Club on tripadvisor.  The food was decent, and Greg and Kylen really enjoyed their Thai iced tea with milk.

Loved the yellow-orange napkins.

I had Phad Thai.  It came with sprouts on the side, which complimented the dish really well.

After our server found out we were from out of town, she asked if we'd seen "The Wave."  It's a spot on the river popular with surfers.  We looked, and sure enough, there was a guy on a board.  If you can see the two tiny black spots near center, the dude on left is riding the water.  Someday, when I get a new camera, hopefully it will have a better zoom!

At this spot, the smattering of green plants stood out in a sea of river rock.

Greg and Kylen discussing the heart rock I spotted.  Greg was holding the rock while acting like he was in love with me.  Which he was.  And is.  =)

Looking forward to next time!

Mini Family Reunion

We had a mini family reunion last Saturday.  Some relatives came from a branch of the "tree" I hadn't seen since I was a child!  It was nice reconnecting, and I especially enjoyed hearing my grandfather's sister "Aunt Myrna" speak.  She is a talented storyteller and has a nice collection of pictures and  keepsakes.  Even though the reunion was only one day, I know a lot of time and energy went into planning.  I appreciate all those who organized and hosted!  :)

We started out by meeting at Riverside Cemetery in Spokane where my great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother are buried.  Aunt Myrna talked about how our family immigrated to America from Germany and settled in Ohio.  There were three siblings.  Two stayed put, and one came west to Idaho.  The one who came out west is where my family is descended from.

Next, we headed to the home of relatives who live near the cemetery.  They have a large house and a significant collection of vintage items.  They are actually planning to open an informal museum!  We all had lunch together and hung out for several hours chatting and looking around.  Aunt Myrna gave the second half of her presentation, Aunt Karen took pictures, we ate cake, and my cousin Kamin filled out a family tree on large sheets of paper.  We recorded Aunt Myrna's presentation, and I took pictures of her notes.  I am planning to type it up and email her.  So far as I know, a lot of this info is not on a computer but hand typed or in peoples' heads.  I would love to get it in a form that is easier to pass on to others.