Got Roots?

I just got home from the first annual family reunion with my dad's side of the family and it was a success! We weren't able to get together this year for Christmas so we decided to do Christmas in July at Roman Nose State Park in Watonga, OK. You would think, "What is there to do in Watonga, OK?" but trust me, we didn't run out of fun activities. I am exhausted from a fun filled weekend.

-We went horseback riding through the canyons. It was Aaron's first time to ride a horse....who would've thought, right? He looked like a natural and he said he LOVED it.

- We swam in the pool

- We had a cookout......complete with a Christmas tree, dirty Santa gifts, hot dogs, s'mores, a talent show, a park, and springs.

-We had a scrambles golf tournament and I'm proud to say the team I was on won.....we finished 8 under. Note to self: I should golf more often with four competitive boys because the pressure was on and I was determined not to be the reason they lost. It was by far the best game of golf I've ever played and I'm super proud to say I got an EAGLE on one hole. It was by far the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me, but it felt pretty darn awesome. My teammates were so patient with me and they "coached" me up well. Nice work team!

 Team #1

 The Winning Team

 The Senior Citizen Team

We had to get proof of my Eagle because I knew they wouldn't believe it.

-We competed in a miniature golf tournament and paddle boat races.

 Kinley got a hole in one!

Colby was the winner out of our family and had to play in an intense two round tie breaker with a guy from another family.

 The paddle boat winners from our family....Team Sea Rascals

 Zach was not happy about being a part of the green boat team.....we were wimpy girls and couldn't keep up with the rest, haha.

For the record, don't ever compete in paddle boat races....it is the best leg workout of your life and you will be in excruciating pain the entire time. I'm sure it was quite comical to watch.

-We surprised our Me-Ma with family reunion t-shirts that had a family tree legacy on the back. She loved the shirts and got a little teary eyed when she first saw them. The Great-Grandkids read the legacy to her...so sweet.

The whole family

 Team Gary

 Team Bruce

Team Rex

I'm so blessed with such a wonderful family and I'm thankful for all the fun memories we made this weekend. A special thanks to my mom and Aunt Debra for all their hard work organizing and planning the reunion. I'm so glad we were all able to get together and I'm already looking forward to next year!

*If you made it to the end of this post, thanks for following along and reading...I know it was a long, picture heavy post!

Testing My Patience!

So I had this marvelous idea today that I was going to treat my dog to a nice long walk, swimming, and a bath. My dad takes my dog on 3-6 mile walks every morning and this morning he had to work early so he didn't get his usual morning walk. I have the day off and had some free time so I thought, "I'm going to one up my dad and let him swim and be wild and free." You see, sometimes we have conversations in my house about who the dog likes better......me, my mom, or dad. My parents think when I move out he will be miserable without them. I must admit he gets more attention and love than most dogs I know so he will definitely be sad when two of his favorites are no longer there. Of course, I'm his most favorite :)

Back to the story.....I let him off the leash and he took off towards the pond. I threw sticks for him to fetch and he swam and swam and swam. He was loving every minute of it. Then, I decided I'd go ahead and keep him off the leash since no one else was in sight and he could roam around freely and hopefully dry off. He ran around like crazy through the woods and had a blast. At the time, I didn't think anything of it, but when we got home I noticed he was covered from head to toe in teeny tiny little burrs. That's when I almost had an anxiety attack. I had no idea how I was going to get the little boogers off. Let me remind you that my dog is a huge golden retriever with mass amounts of long hair. They were burried under his fur everywhere. I'm not exaggerating either....if I had a dollar for every burr I picked out, I'd be a millionaire. I set him down on the garage floor and I started picking and every time I would pull too hard, he would let me know by nipping at my hand. I sat there for two whole hours picking them off. I made progress, but there were still a bunch left. I decided to go ahead and take him to the dog wash and see if they would come out better while I washed him. A few more came off while washing, but when we got home I brushed him really good and picked the remaining burrs off for another hour. So there you have it, that's how I spent three hours of my day today. God was testing my patience and I'd say I remained pretty calm. There were a few times I contemplated shaving his entire body with my clippers. The good news is, Samson got tons of quality time with me today and he probably thought I was just petting him the entire three hours. I learned my lesson the hard way and he will no longer be running free in the tall grass anymore. BURRS=NO FUN.

A tired, clean, wet, burr free pup

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm linking up with Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday.

#1. I LOVED all the fun shenanigans that went on last week/weekend.

      -I got to stay at Aaron's on my days off last week. We had a blast hanging out at the lake,  shopping in Tulsa, and hanging out with his family. I seriously don't think I've ever laughed as hard or as often as I do around Aaron and his brothers. They are hysterical when they get together, they always have me rolling.

-Friday night, one of my friends from high school got married. They had a fun, sweet reception afterwards. Toni looked so beautiful and happy. I'm so excited for her and wish her many many years of joy and bliss. I didn't get a picture with the bride :( but here's a pic of us at the reception.

My pretty friends Katie and Alli.....love you girls.

 - My best friend, Marcus was in town visiting from Seattle. All of our friends from high school went out on Saturday night and then we had dinner at Zio's on Sunday night. It was great to see Marcus and catch up with everyone. They are all very special, dear friends to me and I love spending time with them.

#2. I'm going to LOVE all the fun shenanigans that will take place this weekend and next week/weekend.

- Friday night after work, I'll be heading to the Talequah area for Aaron's congrats/going away party with his friends. It's always a blast at his friend's house and it's been a while since I've been there so I'm really excited. It will be a very short trip since I have to be at work the next morning, but it will be worth the drive.

- It just so happens that 4th of July falls on my day off and I have the following day off as well. I'll be spending the holiday with Aaron. We aren't quite sure what our plans are, but I'm sure it will be tons of fun.

-The weekend after 4th of July, we will be headed to a state park for our family reunion. Can't wait to have the weekend off and soak up the sun and spend quality time with family that I haven't seen in a while. We are doing our Christmas in July this year since it's been difficult to get everyone together during Christmas time. Get ready for a lot of picture taking :)

 The last time we were all together in April 2011 for my Mema's 80th birthday party.

 Some of the family together at Trevor & Ashley's wedding in November 2011.

#3. I'm in LOVE with Tori Spelling's new show on TLC called Craft Wars. It comes on at 9:00pm central time on Tuesday nights. You should check it out. It's my second favorite show on TV right now...The Bachelorette is still #1.

Hope you guys have a great week and a Happy 4th of July!