In Michigan for Thanksgiving 2013

Dear Child of Mine, 

You have a wonderful family - both mine and your dad's - that will absolutely adore you when you make your way into our lives. We were able to spend time with both the Eccles and the Fishes over Thanksgiving (I never knew how to make my last name Fish plural).

Just hours after disembarking our Carnival Cruise your dad and I met my mom (your GRANDMA!) at Olive Garden in Buffalo. We enjoyed a nice meal together and then mom took me back to Ashtabula where I would spend the next two nights before heading with Kevin to Michigan. I had a great time with Mom and Dad, Grams and Chuck, and Gramma Mary. I baked an apple pie and chocolate chip cookies because it's what I love to do (and, if I'm completely honest, the raving compliments they gush onto me, don't hurt.)

Before I knew it, we were back on the road for Southern Michigan! Kevin and I, along with your Uncle Brian and his girlfriend Beth, were busy little bees working alongside Mom E. Just in time for dinner, the rest of the crew began arriving. And what a fun, rowdy, completely new group it was! I had been the only "outsider" in the Eccles/Arvidson family for many years, but now Elise has been married to Matt for 2 years, Marlene is engaged to be married to Daniel in 2014, and Brian is dating a fantastic girl, Beth.

Left to Right: Beth & Brian, Daniel & Marlene, Elise & Matthew, Melanie* & Kevin

*please note the water bottle/cup at Mel's feet. She never goes anywhere without it. It might as well be an appendage. 

The 8 of us had a blast together - the additional significant others really adds an entertaining dimension to our group dynamic. "What's that, new people to get to know? to tease mercilessly? to find topics to debate? to play ridiculous games with? Oh this is going to be good."

And just think, little one, as each of our generation adds children to the mix, the volume will increase, the entertainment ratings will SPIKE, and the love will multiply. Come quickly, child. You're delaying the fun!

The average age around the dinner table was now much lower than ever before! I'm the oldest in our generation, at 28, Beth is 18, and David (Kevin's youngest cousin) is 13. You should have heard the conversations flying around that beautiful Amish-made dining room table. I sat at Dad E's left (as I have for the past 9 years), and he, Mom, Grandma, and Grandpa and I couldn't even carry on a conversation over the volume. (Your dad and your Uncle Brian are both quite loud when then get to telling a good story. It's quite entertaining, really!)

Let's just pause for a moment and admire the spread my mother-in-law put out for all of us. Beautiful heirloom China and a fantastic pot roast dinner (just as delicious as your dad remembers it!) And this was the night before Thanksgiving! AKA Prelude to Thanksgiving as I like to call it.

Matthew and Elise (Arvidson) Schnaars
Daniel Globig and Marlene Arvidson (soon to be Globig)
Larry and Ruth (Ruiz) Arvidson
David Arvidson
Gordon and Linda (Arvidson) Eccles
Kevin and Melanie (Fish) Eccles
Brian Eccles
Mert Arvidson and Wanda (Walton) Arvidson
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Thursday, November 28th, we all indulged in a wonderful Thanksgiving feast, took some family portraits, played a rousing rendition of Quelf, watched the Lions beat the Packers, pieced together a puzzle, took turns napping, and shot a few gourds with a 9mm handgun. All in all, exactly what Thanksgiving should be.

Yes, that *IS* your mother shooting a gun.
Yes, she was a pretty good shot, if she does say so herself.

The day AFTER Thanksgiving was significantly more quiet and subdued, aside from this little gem:


Ok, that wasn't the only "rowdy" moment of the day. You can't me quiet during a game of bowling after all. The first round would have made my dad hang his head in shame, but the second game was decent. A few strikes, spares, and *almost* the top score. My darn husband *would* beat me in the last frame. Of course that *may* have had something to do with the fact that I took down ONE pin. (Did you know, dear one, that your Papa Fish and Great Grandpa Nick were extremely talented bowlers? There may or may not be trophies and plaques and Hall of Fames involved.)



The 6 of us, Mom & Dad, Kevin & Mel, Brian & Beth, went to Kohl's around 10am, waited in a crazy long line, ate an awesome lunch at Bone Island Grill, shopped at one of our favorite stores (SAM'S CLUB. woot!), and retired for an evening of Hallmark movies.

We love spending time with family and only wish we weren't quite so far away. In a perfect world, you'll get to see your grandparents and aunts and uncles every week or two, because we'll live just down the street. :) But even if our world isn't perfect we'll be sure to give you lots of time with this great family of yours!

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The Almost Adoption

My heart is in that hurting sort of place. I knew these kind of days would resurface, even after coming to a place of peace and contentment with our childlessness. But it seems to be impossible to completely ignore the desire and if I lost all hope that may not even be healthy, I don't know.

Keeping the balance between hopefulness and contentment is where Jesus must come in. 

But in these moments of sadness and wanting, of deepest yearning and tears, I thought I would share with you another portion of our journey down the road of infertility. (This particular story was hinted at in this post all those months ago.) Come with me, won't you, to June 2012? The days were extremely hot and our house was kept shaded by the closed drapes. In the midst of the heat I wasn't exactly thinking about options to expand our family, but then one presented itself. 

A dear friend of ours said she had an urgent matter to discuss with us and asked if she could come over for a visit. Our minds were racing, scrambling through the possibilities. You see, this friend was one of the only people with whom we'd share our interest in adoption. She was most certainly coming to us with a related circumstance. 

Wasting no time, she laid out the situation - There was a 19 year old girl, from a good family, living in a nearby town and attending community college. She had just found out that she was pregnant, eight months pregnant. This young girl, who was likely scared out of her whits, wanted to give her unborn child a wonderful adoptive home to be a part of and she was wanting to do an independent adoption. The baby could be born within the next four weeks, so if we interested in this opportunity we would have to move quickly. 

Before we knew it, Kevin and I were alone in our living room, staring at each other and wondering, "What now?" 

You should know we had done absolutely nothing to prepare for the possibility of adoption. All we knew was this is normally a long, detailed process, and we weren't sure how to begin. For the next four days we operated in turbo mode. We found an adoption attorney (we had never had any experience with a lawyer of any kind), we paid a $2,000 retainer plus the $500 consultation fee, we communicated with a third party who was speaking on behalf of the 19 year old girl and her family, we filled out the paperwork, we contacted a social worker who was willing and able to do an expedited home study (for an increased sum of money, of course), we had references write letters of recommendation on our behalf, we wrote our own letter to the birth mother.

This was the fastest, scariest roller coaster we had ever been on. There were days (hours, really) that felt extremely defeated. There is no way we are going to be able to do this all in time. Then there were moments of hope. Oh my goodness, we have all of our ducks in a row, this could really be happening. 

And in the midst of all of these meetings and this turmoil, we had to decide whether or not we were going to join the Bible Quizzers for a week in Seattle. Ack. It certainly wouldn't look good to the birth mom if we skipped town at this crucial time. But we had heard nothing back from her or her lawyer since moving speedily forward on everything. We were playing a waiting game and had no idea which direction the mother was going to go. We had made commitments to quizzing (and the money had been paid) and we didn't want to back out of our responsibilities if nothing was going to come of this adoption scenario. Does one of us stay and one of us go? 

For a short while I was considering staying in town to work with the birth mother, and Kevin would go to Seattle. But after over a week of no communication from the family or the lawyers, we knew it wasn't looking good. And so rather hear the devastating news all alone, I opted to go with Kevin to Washington state. 

Thankfully this turned out to be the right decision. We finally heard from our lawyer the day we were flying back to Buffalo - The birth mother had decided to go with an agency adoption. The case was closed. The matter settled. I am still grateful for the lawyer we had chosen to work with. She was generous enough to return our $2,000 retainer since she had done no further work on our behalf. And I was able to spend a week not dwelling on the heartbreak and stress and anxiety of the pending situation. I was with my husband and our teens, and the other leaders on the trip proved to be wonderful encouragement to me as well. 

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And here we are, 10 months later. We are still interested in the pursuit of adoption, but we're not Dave-Ramsey-ready for that financial commitment. Our conversations on the subject continue and we are trying to make the choices that will be best for us and best for the child we bring home. 

But, dear friends, in the meantime you can pray. And please, if you know of someone who is looking for a Christian couple to adopt their unborn baby or infant, feel free to connect us to them. We are willing to wait for God's perfect timing in this process. 

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An Eccles Easter

We were so blessed to have our Eccles Family with us for this holy weekend. They arrived in time for the Good Friday service (which was a wonderful time of remembrance and solemnity with our Ecumenical brothers and sisters), and we still had plenty of time for a late stew dinner and good conversation before bed. There really is nothing quite as lovely as conversation with our parents. 

Saturday was a simply gorgeous spring day and we ventured out of the confines of our cozy home many times. We took a walk around the village while the Sour Cream Pound Cake was baking, admiring homes and wishing the canal was filled with its gentle waters rather than revealing the contents of its belly. 

After enjoying a light snack of Pacific Beach Peanut Butter (which I reviewed in yesterday's post) and homemade crackers, we opted for an exploratory walk through the locally acclaimed Mount Albion Cemetery. It might sound strange to enjoy a cemetery so much, but you would not believe the beauty contained in this sprawling, terraced, park-like grounds. Not only is it intriguing and emotionally riveting to read the various epitaphs and calculate lifespans, but the walking path is just incredible (not to mention extremely aerobic.) 

By the time our walk was over, it was time to head to Medina for an tasty tour of Della's Chocolates (we came home with Dark Chocolate Toffee & Coconut Clusters and Dark Chocolate Peanut & Raisin Clusters - a grown up kind of Easter treat!) and Rosenkrans Pharmacy and Gift Shop (where I couldn't resist buying 2 bags of Easter M&Ms on sale for $1.99 each!) Finally we were more than ready for a sit down, early dinner at Avanti's! (They don't open until 3:30 on Saturdays, 4:00 on weekdays.) The boys split some spicy Buffalo wings and a Cheese Steak Hoagie Pizza. I ordered a delicious salad with apples, walnuts and crumbled Bleu cheese (my dad would be impressed with my love of that stinky cheese), and mom enjoyed an amazing-looking burger and fries. (I shared a few of her fries and a Buffalo wing, so don't think I was too ultra healthy. :))

Sunday morning we enjoyed a celebratory worship service together at AFMC and rounded our time out with another filling meal. I opted to stray from the traditional ham or turkey dinner and made a pot roast with carrots, mashed sweet potatoes, biscuits, green beans, and that delectable sour cream pound cake with ice cream and strawberries for dessert. Yes, we were full! 

As we waved goodbye to our dear family, we opened the windows for a bit of fresh, 60 degree air and settled in to enjoy a true Sabbath Sunday together. 

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Sister Shoot | Sammie & Allie

One of my hopes for the time I had in Florida watching my cousins (for some reason, I keep wanting to call them my nieces), was a photo shoot. I love any opportunity to practice my photography skills and I think it's fun to work with low-key family shoots like this one would be. While I know I don't possess the photography knowledge of a professional, I believe I have a special gift of working with my subjects, bringing out their personalities and having true fun together (no staunch, stuffy photo ops with me.) 

On our last morning together, though the skies were cloudy and rain was imminent, we dolled up the girls; I did their hair, they did their makeup (a new interest for Sammie and a bit of an obsession for Miss Allie ;)), and we accessorized. I loved how they opted to wear matching boots. So cute. 

The backyard offered plenty of great photo backgrounds, so off we went! I have to say, this was one of the most successful shoots I've done --the largest number of good looking photos straight out of the camera! I had good subjects (and a new lens!) 

These two have a special friendship, sisterhood. 

On the boat dock. Love those lily pads. 

Sammie really came into her own during this shoot.
I loved watching her blossom.

And a few shots of my girls and me.
The oldest cousin of twelve with the youngest two.
I am 27, they're 12. 

I love these girls and I am thankful for the relationships we developed during our time together. I look forward to being an influential part of their lives as they grow into godly women.

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Contentment with Infertility (?!)

I left you hanging back in January when I wrote a post about the first and only round of infertility testing I have undergone. After many writing detours, I will return to the subject which stands in forefront of my mind and, because of your friendships, many of yours.

It has been another 4 months since the procedure which many were hopeful would clear up an unknown issue and result in pregnancy.

And, no, I have not yet conceived.

I am at the point of acceptance. I no longer face devastation month in and month out. Disappointment or sadness rise up occasionally, but my heart is not filled with the same negativity as the previous 31 months. Thanks to the grace of the Lord, I am experiencing contentment. 

True contentment has been allusive for so very long and couldn't be achieved because it was always accompanied by a deep down manipulation - "If I am ok with this situation and appear to be content with where God has me, surely he will bless me with what I really want."  It was still all about me.

I remember my husband talking with me all those months and years ago, counseling me to come to accept whatever plan the Lord has for our lives. I wasn't ready to hear that message and I was angry that he would consider recommending that for me. But these days, I have such a wonderful peace. I love where we're at and I'm actually excited to be used by God in whatever way He sees fit. If that means giving birth to our babies next year or ten years from now; if that means becoming foster parents or pursuing some form of adoption; if that means focusing all of our attention on the people we are called to minister to (be them teens or college students, kids or adults.) I welcome HIS plan. 

After many hours, many tears, and many prayers, we are both at peace with not pursuing fertility treatments. Since there is nothing medically dangerous going on with either of our bodies, we're going to leave natural childbearing up to our Sovereign God. If we become convinced adoption is the route God has for us, then we will be honored to pour our money into adopting and taking care of a child who has been brought into this world and is in need of care and love from parents like us. 

Pray. 

We would appreciate your continued prayers for us. Pray for wisdom, emotional strength, and obedience to God's plan. Pray for our future children, including those we may love like our own via ministry. Pray for our family, even if it remains the two of us. My desire for my own children has not diminished, and I still pray God will grant us our dream I just have peace about following any part of his plan. 

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Florida Instagrams

If you were following me on Instagram last week, you may have noticed I most definitely was not in Western New York. There was no snow to be found and temperatures dipped only as low as 65 degrees. Yes, my friends, I was in sunny Orlando, Florida! It wasn't quite a vacation, but it certainly was fun! My Aunt Wendy and Uncle Steve asked Kevin and me if we would consider traveling to Florida to spend a week in the warmth while staying with (feeding, occupying, chauffeuring, home schooling, and occasionally disciplining) their 12 year old daughters while mom and dad set sail to Cozumel. Kevin wasn't able to get away from work for this particular week, but my mom stepped up and met in Florida to help out and keep me company. 

My flight out of Niagara was a bit treacherous. A commendable snow storm hit the area a few hours before take out and though I boarded on time, we sat at the gate for over two hours ensuring the runways were clear, the wings were de-iced and the plane could get enough traction to be pushed away from the gate. It was slightly frustrating, but I was glad they were taking precautions. I arrived in Florida a few minutes before my mom at 10:15pm, and we met my Aunt and headed home. 

I have lots of fun pictures to share from the semi-professional photoshoot I did with the girls, but for now, my week in Instagram (Thanks, but no thanks to my poorly pixelated iPod). 

"Tweet tweet," says Uncle Steve in our game of Settlers. It's getting intense and it's mom's first time.

*I would just like to say I beat my Uncle by one point on the last turn, thanks to Sammie trading me all of my resource cards for her Victory Point. Not sure that's legal, but I'll take it. ;)

How I spent my afternoon, sunning myself in Florida. Yes, it's a welcome reprieve from winter.

My lovely momma harkening back 15 years to the days of our schoolwork, as she teaches Allie exponents. #homeschool

No, we weren't homeschooled, but she certainly spent HOURS each week helping us with our homework.

Teaching the girls to make Alfredo sauce from scratch. That along with chicken, pasta, and broccoli was a winning dinner.

I made up the actual recipe on the spot, but it's similar to this dish from my recipe blog.

Sammie wanted to paint my fingernails! Ok! 

I made the girls heart shaped pancakes for Valentine's Day!

Since I wasn't with my Valentine for our annual pizza date, I taught my 12 year old cousins to make pizza dough from scratch. Tasty success!

I have never enjoyed puzzles but this intense 1000 pc with no frame really converted me.
Sammie and I had a blast tag-teaming it!

Waiting to board for home, prepared for the cold weather in my new ankle boots.

My husband showed me his love with a gorgeous bouquet of "our mix" (alstroemerias & roses) in the front seat in our way to our annual VDay pizza date.

I was so excited to see his face waiting for me at the airport! On the front seat of the car, he had a beautiful bouquet waiting for me - a real, truly thoughtful treat. Then, we headed to a fantastic pizza & wings dinner at a nearby bistro. The perfect postponed Valentine's Day.*

*It has become our tradition, to hunt down a new pizza joint every year on Valentine's - something fun and yet low-key to celebrate!


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My First Half Marathon

I had been preparing for this day since the beginning of July--The Mighty Niagara Half Marathon (for hospice). Week after week I followed my training schedule, running something like 3 miles Monday, 5 miles Tuesdays, 4 miles Thursday, with a long run on Friday or Saturday. My long runs started at 6 miles (since that was my base prior to training) and built up one mile at a time each week. I achieved the 13 mile distance at the end of August and for the next few weeks began tapering--a 12 mile September 7th, an 8 mile the week after, and finally resting up with a 5 mile run 2 days before the race. 

I was ready. 

My mom and dad had been excited about my race and I invited them to join in on the fun. The world of runners is a microcosm that cannot be explained, only experienced, and my parents were looking forward to being a part of my big day. After an evening of games with mom, dad, Kevin, Randy, and Sheryl (and some competitive banter between myself and Randy), we all hit the sack early Friday night. 

Saturday morning dawned cold, windy, rainy, and just plain depressing. I do not enjoy running in the rain. I have tried to be whimsical and go for a fun run in the rain, but it's never fun for me. Thus, the morning's weather was a source of major frustration and disappointment. I kept praying and praying that the Lord would clear the skies and calm the winds. 

We carpooled to Lewiston, NY with the other half marathon trainees from our church's Run for God group and arrived with plenty of time to register, use the bathroom too many times, and take a pre-race group photo. 

Back Row: Brian, Jack, Matt, Mickey, Wayne, Tom
Front Row: Tom, Melanie, Sheryl

It was finally race time. We took our places in the sea of 900+ runners, half of the guys near the front and Sheryl, me, Brian, Wayne, Mickey, and Jack at the back of the group. I wanted to start out with my friends to ease my nerves and keep me from gunning it out of the start gate. My strategy worked! Not only was I more relaxed and even laughing, but the rain suddenly stopped my goose-bumped arms were warm again! Praise the Lord. 

I spent the first 2 miles with my friends, keeping my mood light, but soon I felt the urge to push ahead and increase my speed. I gradually began the process of working my way through the mass of runners, enjoying the sounds of their conversations and the sights of the lovely towns through which we were running. 

Mile after mile there was always something to keep my mind entertained. Bands played with enthusiasm every couple miles, there were water/Gatorade stations (where I nearly always choked--it's hard to run and drink simultaneously), guys who would take off for the nearest patch of trees for a bathroom break--rendering the nearest ladies full of laughter (and maybe some jealously!), and supporters filling the sidewalks. The air was ringing with their cheers and enthusiastic encouragement. 

I kept looking for our crew of cheerleaders--Kevin, Randy, dad, and mom--but by mile 6 hadn't seen them yet. Just then, I passed through the quaint town of Youngstown and it was just the boost I needed. The people were flooding the streets, cheering loudly, and even offering high fives as we passed. I was feeling good as I approached mile 7 and there, off in the distance, was my cheering section! Dad and Mom high fived me, Randy was videotaping, and Kevin was taking pictures and loudly yelling, "GOOD JOB EVERYBODY! BUT GO, MELANIE! I MARRIED HER!"

As I passed them by, my emotions nearly got the best of me and I had to choke back tears. Their presence was overwhelmingly encouraging and I knew I could do this--keep on keeping on (as my husband always says.) 

For the next many miles, a girl with the name "Hillarie" stamped on her back and I kept a silent camaraderie and competition going. She would pass me, I would pass her. We would be side by side. She'd pass, I'd pass. We had nearly the same tempo run and whenever one of us would slow down the other would speed by, thus pushing the other to up the ante. At one point, I heard her talking to a friend of hers and say, "Right now we're running an 8:30 and we're on target to finish in 2 hours." Oh man! I was going to stick with Hillarie. I couldn't let her out of my sight. I fell pretty far behind her at one point, but I gradually worked my way back and kept the lead for the final few miles. So thanks, Hillarie, whoever you are, for keeping me going. 

As we turned into the campground where the finish line awaited our grand entrance, a guy was cheering us on and shouting, "Only half a mile to go!" AWESOME! I can totally handle 1/2 a mile. Unfortunately, that guy was way off and it was closer to a mile left to the finish--which is excruciating when you're SO ready to be done. My stomach was churning from the water and Gatorade that was sloshing around, and heck, I'd been running for almost 2 hours--I was pretty beat. Just as I was praying, "Lord, please don't let me throw up. Please, Lord." (yes it was that desperate), my phone beeped with a text message notification. Elizabeth--my best friend from infancy--wrote, "You just came to mind at this moment and I wanted you to know I'm praying for you." 

OH SWEET JESUS that was JUST what I needed most. Thank you, friend, for listening to the Lord's prompting.

After nearly slipping and falling in the muddy woods just prior to the finish, I rounded the corner to hear my name being shouted by church friends, Karen & Denise. I waved and smiled and then caught my husband's eye. He was beaming with pride and I blew him a kiss as I cross the finish line. My mom and dad were there to catch me, and Kevin ran over to hold me up as my knees were nearly collasping under me. My emotions were welling up in my tear ducts but I managed to keep them at bay once again. 

I had FINISHED. and finished well. 

My final chip time was 2:00:47--a time I am completely thrilled with and find hard to believe. I was figuring I'd finish around 2 hours and 15 minutes, so I'll take the just-over-2 hours-finish! My average pace per mile was 9:13 and I honestly think I could run it even faster than that--I didn't want to risk burn out. I finished 4th in our group of 9 (7 of whom are men), 165th out of 627 women, and 45th out of 127 women ages 25-29. I think it's ok to be proud of my finish. I am!

I loved my first half marathon. I loved having my husband and my parents there. I loved finishing. And I love the sweet medal. :)

Sheryl and Mel--best friends, training partners, half marathoners!

My husband was incredibly supportive as I trained and as I raced.
He's always bragging about me. :) 

The group of finishers! 

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The One with a Moments of Motherly Advice

I'm convinced. No matter how old you get or how much experience you attain, there will always come a time when you just need your mom. The growing-up thing means she probably won't always be able to be there beside you, holding your head in her lap, stroking your back and whispering words of peace. But she will always be there. And you'll never be too old to need her.  

The One with the 75th Surprises and a Reunion

This past weekend I got to spend lots of quality time with family members from all over the country--Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and more! My husband didn't get to come with me because of church responsibilities, but I am thankful that he was willing to let me go on my own for the 3 nights. 

I left town at 7:40am Thursday morning and arrived to my mom and dad's house by 10:45am. Mom and I had lots of catching up to do and managed to squeeze in time for her to try on all the clothes I brought her from the LeBaron's yard sale. By 12:30 we were starving and excited to meet up with Grams and Chuck at Steak 'N Shake (the usual!) along with my Aunt Wendy, whom they had just picked up from the airport. Our meal arrived very slowly, but we enjoyed laughter and fellowship for quite some time. 

Mom and I stopped to see Grandma Mary for a while and by the time we got home, Aunt Linda had arrived from Pennsylvania. For the next few days, it was 5 Marr women (Grandma, her three daughters, and one granddaughter) ripping the roads together, talking over each other, laughing hysterically, and eating far too many sweets. Perfect, right? :)

We had all come together for our Kister Family Reunion (my great grandmother and her siblings' families), but my aunts and uncle had also planned to surprise Grandma and Chuck with a 75th birthday party including friends from church along with immediate family. Since her birthday was in March and his is in September, they didn't suspect a thing!

Three Generations--Each the Oldest Child. Dangerous, eh?
(We don't look related, do we?) 

this beautiful cake was filled with strawberries and custard. yes, for real.

HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAYS!

Grandma Marr and her 4 kids:
Scott, Karen (my mom), Wendy, Linda

Proud to be their daughter

Cousins! Ryan and Kalie are my Uncle Scott's kids. 

Enjoying the Party

My Aunt Wendy and I got to spend the most quality time together this weekend, setting up for the party while the others occupied Grandma, shopping for party paraphernalia, and going on multiple walks together (to work off all that food!). She even supported me on my 10 mile training run early Saturday morning by biking alongside me. Having her there for company and encouragement made the run truly enjoyable. I just wish she and I lived closer together!

What's a party without 14 pounds of M&M's???!!!

Looking through old family photos

Kids Game Time by Brandy
(I always loved the egg toss when I was little.)

While the kids played kids inside, many of us grown ups played Corn Hole outside. Dad and I played against Mom and Aunt Wendy, and we lost big time. (It came as a surprise to us all. :D)  I was terrible, let's just leave it at that. My mom, on the other hand, had an extreme case of awesome as she got a "hole in one" almost every time. She wow-ed us all! 

Erin and Melanie: cousins and classmates 

Another person I was happy to see was my cousin, Erin. She and I graduated from high school together and shared many classes and experiences during our 4 years at ESHS--and we hadn't seen each other since graduation in 2004!! We didn't realize until 11th grade that we were related, even though we had both been at many family reunions as young kids. I'm not sure how to put this in technical genealogy terms (can someone help?), but her great grandpa and my great grandma were siblings. 

So the generations looks like this: 

Earl Kister      -    Mildred Kister 

Barb Kray       -     Marilyn Marr 

Julie Kray-Cook     -     Karen Fish

Erin Cook      -      Melanie Eccles

Grandma and her husband, Chuck, brother Norman and sister Phyllis

My Grams and me

I love that I was able to spend all this quality time with my family, both intermediate and extended. It was a wonderful, wild, exhausting, worth-it weekend.