April 2012 Road Trip

The kids had a week or so off school for Easter/spring break so I decided it was a good time to head southeast. I hadn't been "home" since the reunion in August 2010 so it was time! Once on the road and into the 6th hour of driving ... I remembered why I didn't do the trip often!!!! That feeling also came over me at the gas pump :-) Of course, it was all worth it and we (Carla, Alyson and I) even managed to pull off a surprise 60th birthday party for mom without the kids blowing it! It was quite last minute, so maybe that helped! On Sunday night between 50 and 60 people came for a birthday BBQ. Still AMAZES me that she never suspected a thing! As you can see, we took a detour to see Gavin Tim, Carla and Gavin on the way to Grandpa's farm. Other events included stopping to see Grandma Woods for a great supper and evening, building a tree house without a roof or walls, visiting Frank and Zayna and touring the "tea-cup house", seeing Jarv and Alyson's house in real life :-), and a spectacular magic show by Daudi. I think that covers it!

Family Ties

These are a few pictures from the evening after Uncle Keith's funeral. It was special to all be together. I can't even remember when the last time all the cousins were together. I hardly know what else to write as I still feel an acute sense of loss when I think of Uncle Keith not being here as an uncle, a teacher and part of my support system. I miss his voice, his smile, his emails and seeing his name pop up on skype ...