The theme for this past weekend- "family, family, & more family". Let me set the stage by telling you that my dad is 1 of 10 children-yes I said 10! T-E-N {my grandma is a superhero}! What that means for me is- lots of aunts, lots of uncles, TONS of cousins, even more second cousins, & a whole big bunch of love!!
Saturday night my Aunt Elaine {the hostess with the mostess} put together her Annual Halloween get-together{like she has every year since as far back as I can remember}. My Aunt Elaine's property is beautifully set atop a big hill, surrounded by acres & acres of land & trees that will take your breath away come this time of year. This particular year, Aunt Elaine's property boasted a brand new barn built by the Amish! While we were all a little bit sad to see the old red barn gone, we quickly cheered up once we stepped foot into the new one! It was the perfect set up for our bonfire & weenie roast {that's what my family calls a hotdog roast- it cracks me up, & I love it}! Inside there were tables & tables set up for the smorgasbord of food we would be indulging in, there were hay bales lined up for seating, there were little white twinkling lights strung from the ceiling, a big tractor trailor full of hay {that the kids cheerfully jumped & played in all evening}, & that's just the half of it! Towards the back of the barn, the huge barn doors opened up to the majestic outdoors! There we had our bonfire, an area to shoot bows & arrows, & Ringo the horse's fenced area nearby for petting & feeding. It was a magical setting & Aunt Elaine hadn't missed a single detail!
We spent the evening roasting "weenies" & smores, catching up, lauging, joking, & watching Aunt Elaine coax everyone into playing her ridiculous games- & when they would refuse, proceed to tempt them with her "FAAABULOUS" prizes- which consisted of candy bars, pudding packs, & sweets galore! Who could turn that down?! The barn echoed with squeals & laughter from the children {who were hyped up on more sugar than their little bodies could handle}, as they chased eachother, jumped in the hay,& ran from Uncle Jimmy {who has always been- & continues to be the tickle monster}! We all ate too much food, laughed until our faces hurt, played "Egg Toss" & "Pass the Apple" & most importantly- enjoyed this very special time when our big rowdy group can spend some precious time together!
The evening went by much too fast, & before we knew it, it was late & time to go- far before we were ready to say good-bye. But we made our rounds hugging everyone & saying our good-byes, nonetheless. As we were walking to our car, I said to Jared, "Wow. I have the best family!" {He agreed} It was a special evening, & I couldn't be more thrilled that my husband & son get to be a part of a tradition that has been part of me my whole life! I can't wait for the day that Jett gets to run through the fields with his cousins, jump in the hay like a wild man, slam a soda pop just because it's Aunt Elaine's & he can do that at Aunt Elaine's, roast marshmallows on a stick he finds out in the woods, eat so many sweets that he is on a "sugar high", & make memories on that farm that will last him his whole life!
Yeah, my cup runneth over.
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