Snowflake Pioneers Galore

We are back in town after a wonderful family reunion in Snowflake, Arizona. John's entire family made it for the Pioneer Days weekend, and it was fun to meet people I had always heard about but had never met. All of John's siblings were at our wedding, but some of them left their wives and kids home. So I was finally able to meet them all in person and confirm their existence.

I drove up Friday late morning after being able to show my sister our new house. It's rather important that my best friend approve of my new digs, and, thankfully, she did! She was also kind enough to swap me cars for the weekend, since I realized that my old Ford Taurus with 225,000 miles probably wouldn't fare so well on the steep mountain climbs to northern Arizona. Somehow, T'liese fell for my story and let me borrow her won't-break-down-at-any-moment vehicle. It was a relief to not worry about potentially odd sounds from the engine during the three-hour drive. I am not much of a road-tripper, since I always calculate how long it would take me in my airplane. About half an hour, in case you want to know. And being stuck in a car during constant rainstorms isn't nearly as fun as being in an airplane flying through clouds! But, for some unknown reason, I am not allowed to take the airplane for personal trips...

We ate, visited, watched ping pong, attended the parade, played lots of games, and enjoyed a family talent show. I really enjoyed getting to know more of the family. We even had a bed to sleep in, despite thirty people being in town! It was a fun-filled weekend.

Now I'm off to disappear in home improvements for the week! John's Dad, Mick, is arriving today to help us. What a blessing..and not just because he is bringing a truck. We are so happy to have him, and I am tickled to be doing projects on this house! I am hoping once I actually start working on things, I will be able to quit thinking about them all night! Day 1 of that experiment starts in half an hour with some sanding and first coat of gel stain on kitchen cabinets! Wish me luck...I'm pretty overwhelmed right now with all that I need to do, so I am pretty certain lots of luck will be needed!