The good life

I think my brain is already past tired to blog about every detail. So, here's the "I'm lazy, have a shorter version"!

I packed up Landon and 3-4 days worth of outfits, sunblock (cause we true whiteys BURN up here in the PNW) and headed south for a surprise birthday party/family reunion for my grandparents 90th birthday. Part of me was sad because my grandmother, minus the past 3-4yrs, has been sharp. But, with age comes illness, dementia, etc. She's not the same, and her time will be due up soon. I pulled into good old Placerville (after a short 12hr drive from Puyallup) on a Thursday, it was boiling. I seriously was going to melt at the unfavorably brutal 106 degrees it was that day. I got Landon and I some cold drinks, and parked us in the home in which I have so many fond and warm memories of. The decor is still the same, everything in place, hardly touched as grandchildren who once lives down the curvy road, now live in the suburbs of Sacramento and beyond.


I stared at the photo of my great grandparents on the wall, their smiles still radiating their love and joy in which they always exuded to me and made so obvious to others in their time. I walked around, showing Landon all the now antique toys, still in great condition for any child to love, generation after generation. He was in heaven, there were blocks.

Hillary, Cody and Katie (his wife) were there along with my parents, Uriah (nephew) and Leena. The grandkids loves playing together, it was so sweet to see all of them getting along, just how I did with my cousins when I was a kid.

We went into old gold country and let the kids wade the american river, and feed the manipulate Canada geese, Landon would pick off unripe blackberries, dart them into the water and he thought that was GREAT.

My grandparents are on about 14 acres, just their parcel alone. It's a large place. To them, it's heaven. Grandpa built a playcenter for the grand kids vs a large yard. It's covered in ponderosa pines, and their needles over the decades. There is a 20ft long slide, gliders, a tire swing, swing, a rope swing, and a separate tiny swing set for the babies. They spared no expense and wanted to have their grand kids, truly LOVE going there. There is not one of us grand kids, great-grand kids, who didn't love their home. Mission accomplished! My kids LOVED it. Landon will do anything to go down a slide, and he really was in heaven and did not care how hot it was, he was going down. And thus he did, multiple times!

Saturday was the reunion. People had flown in, driven hours, and even days to be there. We hadn't told either grandparent about it as not to stress them out in their age. We were late, so I missed their reaction to everyone being there, but I was swarmed by old faced, tons of smiles, and a million hello's. I hadn't seen about 90% of my cousins in about 10yrs. Way too long. One, I hadn't seen in about 15-16yrs, my cousin Brandon. It's so funny, he looked the same, just more taller and beefy than the last time I saw him. I remember the visits he made to my home when we were kids, and those are cherished, as we're close in age, we got to catch up and wish each other well in our life endeavors with our families.

I'm home, I'm SOOOO glad I went, proves again, familes really are forever. And I had 2 of the most loyal, dedicated people, who taught my mother the best they could,and she's passed that onto me.