The Big 60th Anniversary Par-Tay!

Well, it's been a week since I was in Iowa visiting family and celebrating my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. It was so much fun! I should have posted about it before now, but I've been in book club mode and was bound and determined to share East of Eden with everyone.

In addition to the "usual suspects" who live in IA, my grandparents were pleasantly surprised by my dad and his wife coming in from CO, me and my kids from OK, my aunt and uncle from CO, and my cousin and fiancee from...hmm. Don't know where they are from. We all came at different times and just when they thought they were all surprised out, someone new would show up! It was wonderful. Just to give you an idea of the size of our family, counting the baby my SIL is pregnant with we will have 60 people in our family by the end of this year. For this shindig we had about 30 people.

I spent hours talking with my cousins, my aunts and uncles, and, of course, my grandparents. My dad's family is so much different than my mother's family. This family (my dad's) is happy to be together. My grandparents are lucid and FUNNY. They can talk about anything and are just happy to have so many people around.

The celebration consisted of lots of talking and laughter, a Mass, a special dinner, and a sleepover (yes! a real slumber party!) at my aunt's house. We all stayed up until 3am doing karaoke. And before you say it: YES. Even my grandparents. They were right in the middle of it. Then I had to get up and drive home the next day. It was a looooong drive that day, but well worth it.

Here are some pictures from dinner. I'm sure you'll spot the obvious family resemblance immediately.


Dad, Robin and Chilihead


The Grandparents and Chilihead

And now, my friends, I am off for three days in Vegas with my hubby. We are kid-free for three. whole. days. I have a spa treatment booked, a show booked, and I'm packed. Bring it.