family, family, and more family

What.a.day! 

I tried to prepare myself for a day filled with family I haven't seen for years, but nothing could prepare me for the love I felt today.  I'm so thankful for all the loving people in our lives.

We started the day with breakfast at a restaurant where my cousin Coen works.  We saw my Grandpa, Grandma, and my brother Adam.  We were also able to spend time with my Aunt Linda, Uncle Tony, and my cousin Josh and his girlfriend, Chavela.  We had a great time catching up and then went to hang out at my grandparents house to reminisce and chat some more. 

{Yes, this is my Grandma.  Yes, she is texting. I love it!}

On the way back from my grandparents we drove by the house where I grew up.  Every time I'm in town, I always want to see it.  Today the owner was outside mowing her lawn, so we stopped and met her.  She was super nice and allowed us to check things out and take a picture.  Growing up, my best friend's (Crystal) grandparents lived across the street.  The owner said they still lived there and that coincidentally their daughter was in town from Florida visiting.  So we took a chance and knocked on the door... suprisingly they remembered me when I told them who I was.  We didn't stay long, but it was neat to see them.  It brought back a lot of childhood memories!

We freshened up and then went to visit my other set of grandparents. 

I was excited to see some aunts, uncles, and cousins.  We finally were able to meet my 2nd cousin, Falon, for the first time too!  We brought out some old albums and looked though pictures while hearing great stories from my Grandma & Grandpa.

Our last stop was supposed to be dinner with Julie, Jim, and Judy, but Julie wasn't feeling well.  It didn't work out this time, but hopefully we'll see them soon.

It sure was great getting to see a lot of our family!  Unfortunately, we are still at a point where we are not communicating with my parents.  We hope that one day soon they'll accept the decision I made a few years ago to make connections with my past.  Hopefully when that time comes we'll be able to move on and be a part of each others' lives again.  If that piece of the puzzle falls into place, our future trips to Ohio will feel more complete.