Coming home to my parents and siblings has been nice. It is familiar and wonderful to be with them again. We just pick up where we left off as if no time has passed. This is what I love about good friends and family.

That being said, when I am in town, everyone who lives here makes an effort to come to my parents for family dinner, which is usually spaghetti. It is one of our favorites. We make it with ketchup rather than pasta sauce and a hint of worcheshire sauce to add a little tang. We top it with cheese and Texas toast. Yummy! Sometimes we even have a salad.

Most of our family loves it, and the young kids love it as much or more than my siblings. It is a beautiful feast. The annexed members of our family, those who have married in, are not big fans of our spaghetti dish, but they show up anyway. We do try to make provisions for them. We all understand it is not for everyone.

Regardless of whether they like it or not, getting together is always interesting. The kids play together pretty well and find things to do. The older kids hang out with the adults more now. They are all growing up so fast. I brought them some treats, and the adults got socks. Eleena brought yummy homemade maccarons, and Shelsea made a salad. Everyone else pitched in as well.

I have been able to go to the movies with my brothers Christopher and Hans’ families. We saw super Mario Brothers and Guardians of the Galaxy 3. It was really cute. I got to spend time with my sister’s family for Taco Tuesday and my niece Brianna’s graduation.

I also got to see my nephew Ryker in a Hope of America program, which gave me hope for our youth in Idaho. It was a really amazing program. I enjoyed the songs. There were a lot of people. It was put on by the 5th grade class of 6 different school. I was impressed by the unison they had after only one rehearsal all together that morning.

I got to see several of my cousins. They are a fun bunch. Always enjoy time spent with them. Feels good to be connected. Yesterday my sister and I realized we don’t have a lot of girl cousins. We saw two because Cheryl lives in Utah. My uncle had two girls, but he died really young, and his girls lived elsewhere, so I have not ever met them, but my mom got to see one of them on her recent trip. I’m so glad she is good at keeping in touch.

Today is Mother’s day in the USA. One of the most difficult days for me for the past 30 years. Today I am going to enjoy my day! It is time for me to move on to my next adventure. I am making a move further south. More to come.