Congratulations, Makenzie!

We are stuffed! We just returned from a graduation party for my cousin Darren's daughter Makenzie, and her mom Sheri fed us all very well (in that typical western ND way that I remember so well from my childhood): two different kinds of barbecue (from eight roasts that she cooked and pulled apart), homemade baked beans, an Italian pasta/vegetable salad, a creamy cauliflower/broccoli/onion/bacon salad, a cherry/whipped topping salad, olives and raw veggies and dip and ham/cream cheese/dill pickle wraps, watermelon, numerous kinds of chips and dips, and an assortment of beverages. Midway through the evening, they served champagne in honor of the event, and a little later, Makenzie cut and served her cake. (The focus on the food should tell you something about my priorities in life!)

Sheri and Darryl (her fiancé) have a home in the country northwest of town. They've done a nice job of redecorating it and landscaping the yard and cleaning up the out-buildings on the grounds. It's all in a very beautiful setting: rolling hills, a long and curvy road from the county road leading over a meandering creek into the yard, pasture land surrounding the yard, lots of trees surrounding the place, etc. It was a sunny day with a cool breeze, so after getting a tour of the house and grounds and loading up our plates, we gathered outside to visit into the evening.

Makenzie and her sisters Paige and Shantell were great hosts to our girls and the three boys who were there. They played on the trampoline and played "kick the can" in the yard, and the older girls drove the littler kids around the yard on the six-wheeler. There were horses to see and dogs and cats (and two five-week-old kittens) to play with, too. As the sun began to set, the air cooled off considerably, and we gathered up our shivering, chattering children (and their shivering, chattering dad) and drove them home, popped them in the shower, and tucked them into bed.

It is good to be near family and be able to take part in their special occasions. We would have been at my cousin Brenda's daughter Meghan's graduation last weekend, too, but for the girls' dance recital on the same day. I know the food there would have been delicious, too--more motivation to attend!