33 going on 13!!

Yes, it is true I have hit the ripe old age of 33! I drove to Idaho for the second weekend in a row to spend it with my family. I arrived late Friday night after suffering through Utah traffic road work. Oh the joy of continual construction!!!
Saturday Seth and I decided to prepare for the upcoming pyromaniac convention or what the rest of America calls Independence Day. We headed off to town where we bought a good amount of fireworks to enjoy that evening.

Then we met up with the family and off to a movie in Pocatello where all of my siblings and their families decided to see WALL-E , which I really liked, well at least the parts I saw. I am notorious for falling asleep during movies. So thanks to my big brother who kept waking me up I caught the gist of the movie and really enjoyed it.
We then returned back to Blackfoot were patiently...not so much but we tried, Seth and I waited for evening to come so we could light our fireworks. Of those nights events we enjoyed the "Frog in a Blender" firework the best, reds and greens all over.
Sunday was the family birthday party since I would not be there for the actual day and everyone was there. You can't beat a homemade dinner from your mom and birthday cake.
Just having my family together was the best present I could of asked for but was not disappointed with the laptop upgrades (thanks Mom and Dad) and the perfume and fun bath stuff (thanks Reece's) and the comedic antics of my brother (thanks Jackson's). It was a great day.

Sisters!!!

My mother is one of 6 kids. 5 girls and 1 boy. Between the 6 kids there are 4 single daughters of which I am one. So it was decided while my mom was in town we, the single girls and our mothers would get together for a girls weekend.
Day one: Mom and I were in Menan!
Day two: After arriving home from Idaho we finally went to bed and up at 7:30 am to get ready and meet the family at the Conference Center for the Spoken word. Now let me tell you about us. We can't do anything together without a little confusion and a lot of laughing. Once you get all the "Sisters" together, and yes Aunt Hannah you are stuck with the title, it is all kicks and giggles. They get together and you think that they are teenagers.
After the spoken word we attended a local ward for Sacrament meeting and then back to the Conference Center for a tour.
Now one thing I always thought was normal, which I am finding out it is not, is that we all love cemeteries. I am not sure why???!!! So, no we don't picnic in a park, we have a picnic right there in the cemetery and loved every minute of it. We talked and looked around at the different headstones and enjoyed each other's company. While the young'ins laughed and giggled and the "Old Ladies" ( they called themselves that it was not us) fretted over each other and made sure everyone was taken care of and laughed all the way through. We then went to find the graves of our great grandparents, then to Lehi for dinner at the Braithwaites.
At this particular gathering we allowed my dad, Kent, and my Uncle Kent to attend. Which just adds to the humor. Stories of Uncle Kent shooting at his sisters with a .22, the endless trips to A&W with Grandpa Braithwaite and all the other stories we could think of to tell about our parents came out.
Families are such a blessing and how grateful I am that mine is eternal. Chances are though where ever we end up in heaven, it will probably be sound proof and padded because we are a crazy bunch.

Family and Fun!!!

Well it is that time of year where my family gets together. Whether here or in Alaska who knows, but this year it is in Utah. My parents, bless their hearts, flew in at 4am on June 21st. Once I picked them up and took them home we finally got to sleep at 5am. Up at 8:30 to get ready for our Raymond Family reunion in Menan, Idaho.
Due to Utah traffic we did not make it to Menan until 4:00pm just in time for the ending of the reunion. We had made a stop in Blackfoot to pick up my sister and David, my brother, and his family were going to meet us there. To make a long story short we all crossed paths. However dad did make it and was able to see all of his cousins, two sisters and a niece. We had a great time.

Living in Menan was so much fun as a child. We loved to play and had so much room to do so. Each time I go back it feels like home. The church building, Co-op and the large lilac bush on the church grounds. AHHHHHH the good old days.

Next we finally met up with my brother at a family favorite called Big Juds. They have Hamburgers the size of dinner plates. It is unbelievable. So big it takes four people to share one. However I did have a roommate who ate one all on her own. That was a treat.
The back to Blackfoot to drop off Angela and then to Salt Lake City. We arrived home at 1am and quite ready for bed. Just wait the fun is about to continue!!!!!