Fourth of July

There is something about going home...really home. Everyone thinks I grew up in Texas...and for over half of my life I did. My true home is Ohio. There is something about it, something about returning and seeing the elementary school I learned in, the house I played in, the park I ran in.


Mark and Noah at Razor's, the ice cream shop that we ate at as kids.

But the trip to Ohio was not really about places, it was about people. I was blessed to be able to spend several days visiting with my dad's family, and one quick day with my mom's. It just works out that way...no favorites!!


The cousins.

I was introduced to "corn-hole" a game that is quite addictive, competitive, and rib-tickling fun! Kit...you owe me one more game. We left it tied 1-1. I'm not sure why, but I was pulled in to game after game, after game, after game...you get the idea. The first night my arm hurt so much I had to take medicine for pain!


Helen throws during a game of corn-hole.

We ate...and ate...and ate. Galaxy Pizza beats Wally's Pizza any day Chris...you are going to have to accept it. For those not part of the tradition, our family greets one another late on Friday night with a big pizza party...only we can't decide on a favorite pizza so we order from two places! I wish I had taken pics of the pizzas...they are enormous and they taste so good after 10:00 pm! I did take pictures of the barbecue from the 4th of July...delicious!


Chris was the grill-master for the day...that is, after I beat him at Corn-Hole!

We celebrated until the wee hours of the night and then headed to Columbus for my mom's family picnic. It was short-lived. My grandma had a single-car accident the morning of and our concern was her getting home...yes, she went to the hospital and then came to the picnic with gifts for Noah! Please pray for her recovery...they are concerned with pneumonia setting in at this point in time.


Dad and Uncle Charlie grilling for the Pennypacker reunion on Sunday.

I wish I could bottle up the events of the week, video each one, post each one. We laughed hard...hard, hard. The conversations were sometimes deep, those happen late at night after we've laughed all we can and the stillness of the night, err...morning...sets in. I know you can sense it, the love I have for my extended family. They are great people, people I love, people I miss. Happy next 4th of July to the Masons, the Albaughs, the Pennypackers, the Beards...miss you until then.