good memories

Thanksgiving was monumental this year. For the first time in a long time Dave's family gathered around the table with all the siblings complete. We were only missing one grandchild due to military service -- and we missed him so -- but to have that many people in one place was a milestone for us. We had a nephew from Arizona come to visit with his family (Since when did my nephews get old enough to have kids? I'm getting old!). Dave's sister came home from Kansas for the first time in four years. The last time she was here it was for the sad occassion of her mother's funeral. Another nephew came home from grad school in Wisconsin. Needless to say, last week was busy, but happy. We had kids everywhere, food galore, and a few moments to sit and enjoy each other. Dave even found the opportunity to take a crew golfing.

Thanksgiving night the women finally had time to linger around the dining room table telling funny stories:


Here are my kids with Simon's (my nephew) kids at the park together:


We had a night to eat BBQ and then we on a little tour of Marietta, which included a funny stop at this tavern. Simon is actually a Border Patrol officer so this sign was a lot of fun for us to share. Simon went inside and found out that he was the first Border Patrol officer to stop and say hello to the owner. The kitchen was closed and we were stuffed with BBQ or we would have taken advantage of the freebies involved. No comment on the Walmart greeter portion of the sign. ;-)