Wednesday~
At 10:30, Mom and I left to go to Attitudes, a haircut place run by a lady who started cutting Mom's hair 25+ years ago. We go once a year every time we go to Nebraska. I also got a perm for the first time, which was exciting. My hair is now curly. While were gone, my cousin Elizabeth and her husband Michael and their two kids had been at Grandma and Granddad's house. Sad we missed them, but we were going to see them that evening.
Around 5:45 that evening, we left for The Taste, a resteraunt in Omaha that Granddad likes. We had a yummy dinner celebrating Granddad's birthday, then headed back to their house and had cake and Granddad opened his presents.
Thursday~
We met part of my birthfamily at the Amazing Pizza Machine in Omaha. It's kind of like Chuck-E-Cheese's. It has an arcade, an all-you-can-eat buffet, as well as bowling, go-karts, and some other fun rides. We had a good time there hanging out with them. We came home around 3:00, relaxed for a little while and then went off again to Walmart to pick up food for dinner and then headed to my birthmom Sandy's house where we had dinner with her, my siblings, and Sandy's mom. We left around 7:30, went back to Grandma and Granddad's, and Dad stayed home because his back hurt while Mom and I went to Southwest to do a little setting up. My cousin Bethany and I practiced a song we were going to do Saturday with another cousin for the family. Then we sat around bored for a few minutes, and then Bethany announced that she wanted ice cream. I concurred, and since she had money and a driver's license, that's what we did. We headed to Maggie Moo's, which was about 2 minutes from the church, and each got ice cream. We sat in the car and ate our treats, and then headed back to the church. Then Bethany's mom, my aunt Polly, said that we needed to take Ayden (Bethany's little brother) somewhere and get him some tennis shoes because the only shoes he brought were rubbing blisters on his feet. So we headed out at 10pm to Walmart, got him some shoes, as well as some ice packs Mom needed for the cooler, headed back, and finally around 1030pm we headed back to Grandma and Granddad's. Dad was already asleep, and I fell into bed exhausted and fell asleep almost instantaneously.
Friday~
Around noon, our family left to go to Southwest Church to begiin setting up for the reception. The tables and chairs had already been set up, so we set up the food tables, some of the food, balloons, other decorations, flowers etc. We were done probably by 1:30-2:00. We headed back to Grandma and Granddad's house, and stopped to pick up flowers for the food table. Stacey and Joshua Dineen pulled into grandparents' house a couple seconds after we did. We arranged the flowers, then Mom toted me back to the church to take the flowers there. The Owens and Johnsons were there again, and so I hung out with Bethany and Tyler again for a little bit while Mom did this and that helping with a little more setting up, then we left again, back to Gma and Gdad's house.
The Dineen Family as well as Grandma's brother John and his wife came to their house as well and so everyone sat around and talked for a while, and then some of us left to eat at Chipotle before heading over to the church for the reception from 5-8pm.
It was lots of fun. The time passed a lot faster than we thought, and at the end, the majority (_glares at John and Jared_) of the cousins and one uncle and grandma and granddad did the hokey pokey. :) Then Stacey, Bethany and I headed off to Walmart to do some shopping and then we came back to the church, then went to Grandma and Granddad's, practiced our song and headed to bed.
Saturday~ Saturday morning, Stacey, Bethany, Joshua and I all left for Starbucks and Nebraska City. We got there about 9:45 I think. We stopped by Lied Lodge first, then headed over to the Arbor Day Farm to meet up with the rest of the family and go on the Tree Adventure. After assembling the clan, we all headed off to the adventure. It was basically just a walk on a paved walkway and you can try and idenitify trees if you wish, and there's also a treehouse that you can go up that's 50 feet tall. and then at the end there's a nature classroom that was fun for everyone, especially the kidlets.
After that, we had a picnic lunch and had a good time talking, running, playing frisbee, cartwheeling (Josiah and Stacey took the cake on that one), and climbing trees (James and Tyler are the masters at that one).
Then we went on a hike which was also enjoyable, though a little tireing. There was another not-so-large treehouse along this trail.
And --- (nope, you're not getting out of this one) --- Grandma and Granddad kissed in front of the "Kissing Trees". In all my 15 years of living, I have never seen them kiss, and my mom can't remember when the last time was she saw them kiss either.
After that, most everyone headed back to Lied Lodge, and rested and got ready for the evening. Stacey, Bethany and I practiced our song we were going to do for the family out in the hallway of the 4th floor and several curious heads poked out trying to figure out why there was live music playing, haha. :) We all met downstairs around 6pm, and we took group photos and indiviual family photos. Then we went inside the banquet room, sat down, talked for a little bit, ate, and then Grandma and Granddad exchanged their Anniversary gifts, and there was some talking and crying. :) Granddad and Grandma passed out their gifts to each grandchild and daughter/son-in-law.
Then Stacey, Bethany, and I got ready to do our song. I was nervous, but after sitting up there and playing for a little bit warming up, I wasn't nervous anymore. The song went off with only minor hitches...pretty good considering we only had two days to practice together. :)
Mom, and her three sisters (Karen, Polly, and Amy) did their song-and-joke skit based on the old show "Hee-Haw". It was hilarious...and got Granddad and Grandma and just about everyone else laughing hysterically. I'll post a video soon.
The whole family also sang "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" together at the end. That sent shivers up my spine.
Slowly everyone dispersed. There was a wedding receptiong going on in an adjoining banquet room, and Tyler and Bethany broke it down dancing to the music out in the hall, then eventually Stacey, me, and (aunt) Amy joined in. Then we moved to just outside the door to do the electric slide, and a guy who was standing outside the door invited us to go in and dance on the floor. We said no, we had a 5-year-old with us, and the guy said, "Oh, that's okay, there's kids out on the floor."
yeah, and drunks too. So we didn't do that.
Soon after, we headed off to bed. A very memorable evening.
Sunday ~ Mom had to drop Dad off at the Eppley Airport before church because he had a meeting he had to attend and do a presentation at Monday morning, so I rode with Stacey, Bethany, and Joshua again. We stopped at Starbucks and Burger King when we got to Omaha. We went to church, and then headed to the Old Country Buffet for a final lunch before everyone dispersed. It was lots of fun. We had to leave right after. It was hard saying goodbye to everyone...I didn't want it all to end. :( We stopped by Grandma and Granddad's...we were there before gma and gdad and their neighbor came over to give us a card and a newspaper clipping of thier anniversary announcement to give to them, but grandparents pulled up just then, so she gave it to them in person. Then I had to say goodbye again to some of my cousins who also came to Grandma and Granddad's house before we left, and then it was Illinois bound.
I'm still sad that we had to leave...that it had to end. Who knows if we'll have another completely family reunion? I hope and pray we do.
~~
My mom is posting pictures in parts over on her blog - Winter's Edge Home. So if you want to see pictures, you can go over there. I think the majority of my blog readers read my mom's blog too.
2 comments:
Good idea to record your memories. Some day you will be glad you did.
This was a great time and privilege. It was fun to read about it and relive it again.
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