family ties...

I've been busy this weekend, sorry. Lots of family visiting and playing around. Summer is almost over, you know. Got to get it in sometime.

Saturday was mostly spent driving-four hours up to Flaming Gorge and four hours back. We left (we being dad, mom, Meg, Mandy, Misty, and me) around 9:00 in the morning. We were supposed to have left at 8:15, but I think that mom has figured out that none of us are ever ready to go until forty-five minutes after her planned time-so now she just tells us we leave at 8:15, but really she is shooting for 9:00. Smart, no? Working the Mormon Standard Time system like a pro, she is.

Once we reached my grandparent's house (dad's family) after stopping in Duchesne for potty and drinks (aka milkshakes-haha) and Vernal (again for potty-we had the dog with us), my own family spent awhile with just Grandpa and Grandma. My cousins, aunt, and uncles who were visiting at the same time were all fishing, except for Allen, who was using his computer. Grandma fed us and fed us...and fed us. None of us wanted to hurt her feelings, so we kept eating. And it is all really good, so it's not a big deal. You just constantly feel like you've been turned into a water balloon that's filled to full capacity and inching ever closer to the porcupine sitting next to you. No biggee. Grandpa and dad talked about the weather, the garden, the government, the weather, the garden, Texas and how much they hate it, the weather-it's amazing how quickly my father's mind narrows when he visits his parents. No more philosophy and religion and heated politics-just the weather, the garden, the weather.

When the rest of family got back, things got hot and crowded very fast. I escaped with my camera to the yard; Mandy and I spent a long time playing in the raft on the grass and taking pictures. That fun ended when she found a large spider crawling up her arm. She freaked out, smashed it with her hand, then freaked out even more when she realized that she'd killed it on her fingers. Yuck. Misty had a good time with my cousins-Kaylie, who is six months younger than I am, was her instant favorite, followed closely by Allen and Jill.

I was glad when we left. Too many people in that little house + bad table manners in teenage boys + poor Misty shut outside in the heat = it's time to go.

Sunday was a pretty normal Sunday-get up, dress, go to church, listen to people talk and try to force yourself to stay awake and learn something (I succeeded), write poetry during class (not normal, actually), get brownies because it's Birthday Sunday in Young Women's. Yay! When church was over, my family went home to have something to eat (one brownie is not enough, I promise ;) ) and rest for awhile before piling into the car and heading out to see family again (mom's side). This time it was much more enjoyable. Why? Less people, much younger cousins, more parental supervision, and Misty was allowed inside. Besides, Nana doesn't feel bad if you don't eat her food. She knows people get full, and if they get hungry they'll come back in an hour and eat some more. It's funny to me how different my two families are from one another. Another good thing? I actually know everyone on my mom's side (almost).

Cindy and Mike were visiting from Oregon/Washington (they live on the border, can't remember which state they actually live in) with their daughter, Tay. She's 3, but looks like she's about 2. She's teeny tiny! Scott and Wendy were there with their four kids, Hailey, Nathan, Eliza, and Logan. Then me and my family with Misty, Grandpa, and Nana. This side of the family is a lot more...hm...education focused and less farm-and-hunt focused.

Grandpa and Nana put together a big dinner of absolutely marvelous grilled chicken and the best watermelon ever (there was more, but those were my favorite parts). Then cheesecake for dessert, Finding Nemo for the little chiddlers, and Transformers for the big chiddlers, including uncles. I usually don't watch movies on Sundays, but Mike and Cindy had never seen Transformers before so my mom said it was okay. I still feel a little guilty though.

Tay and Eliza had several boxing matches, where Tay usually ended up winning and Liza ran crying to Cindy. Logan wandered around looking slightly lost, being the youngest and only other boy cousin besides his brother, Nathan. He played with Misty a lot. Hailey and Amanda sat with their heads together, hatching plans. Meghan sat with the adults, trying to sneak into conversations. I wandered like Logan, feeling sort of lost myself. I don't really fit with the adults yet, and I don't fit with my cousins either. Hailey, Amanda, Meghan, and Nathan are all close to the same age. Same with the younger three. I've always just kind of floated off by myself, being the oldest. I sat with Mike, Scott, dad, and Grandpa for awhile until I got tired of them asking me questions and discussing my future education and career plans. I came back when they started telling jokes and swapping stories about traveling. That's always interesting. I spent quite awhile chasing Tay around trees in the grass after Scott's family left. She wanted me to "tatch" her and swing her up so her toes touched the stars, or "tickle the yights!" Cindy, mom, and Nana watched from the front porch, and Misty danced around at my feet. It was quite intoxicating, playing with that little girl and reliving my own childhood for a few moments. I think I'll write that into a story. Would you like me to?

Now I'll be honest. I love my grandparents on my dad's side to death. I adore them. I like the rest of my family on that side okay, but they're just a little weird to me. My Aunt Ilene's family on that side is the only one I really connect to because we live pretty much the same way-we don't hunt, fish, or camp very much; we don't own horses or llamas; we don't do the cowboy/man's man stuff. My dad's family is really kind of redneck.

My mom's family is more...I dunno. Fun, definitely. And they talk about more things. They laugh more, they tell jokes-predominantly farting jokes when Scott and Mike get together, but hey, what are a couple of fifteen year old forty year olds with kids going to do? They've always been like that. I like my mom's family a lot more. They're closer and warmer. They're funnier and less uptight. And, the biggest thing-they don't talk badly about one another behind each others' backs, then kiss up at family reunions. I hate that.

All in all, I like my family. My mom's side is probably my favorite all together. But my dad's parents are my favorite set of grandparents.