Visiting Family - Connecting With Our Cousins!

The alarm went off this morning at 7:30!

 I pushed the snooze button three times before hauling myself out of bed!!

Even so,  I was on my way to Fort Worth a little after 9:00.

I met Deanie and Mother and we headed out to visit our cousins! You can see Mother was excited! 

Our first stop before heading out of town was to pick up Gay - she is our 'honorary' cousin - I get confused over all the terms but I'm certain she's in there somewhere!

Now THIS guy is one of Mother's favorite people - her nephew, Anthony - aka Tony.

He didn't go with us but Mother still got a little visit and a couple of hugs in!

So the day started off really well!!

Now there were four of us in the car and we headed west on I20 to Mineral Wells.

It was a pretty drive. Everything is still green around here which is a pleasant change from the dry grass that is common this time of year!

It was touching to see Mother and her niece, Paula, greet one another,

 These two are our oldest family members.

There has always been a special bond between them.

Deanie and I posed with our second cousin, Pam, in whose home we gathered today.

Gay, Mother, Joyce, Deanie and I.

I know it is confusing but Paula, Anthony and Joyce are siblings.

Pam is Joyce's daughter.

We had a great lunch together! 

I made the Amish Sugar Cookies - again. 

Pam's 3 year old grandson was there and - just like Trystan - did not care for them!

It MUST be something about 3 year olds and Amish Sugar Cookies!!!

Never fear, others liked them and I did NOT bring any home! Thank goodness!

THESE were AWESOME!!!

Pam made them and they were delicious!

She used applesauce and bananas, oatmeal and I don't remember what all plus chocolate chunks.

Seriously good!!!

This photo was my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary.

They are both gone now as is their daughter, Mae Ellen, in the blue dress.

Anthony is the one with the mustache and you may recognize him from when he came out to see Mother in the car. Joyce is second from the right and Paula is on the end.

I have always admired those families where the cousins were as close as best friends and grew up together. That wasn't the case with us. We knew each other and played or visited occasionally but we are JUST NOW getting to know each other and are having so much FUN doing it!!!

We are making a point of getting together often to fellowship, share, eat, talk, LAUGH and fill in the blanks of what's happened in our lives.

There have been good times, hard times, joys and sorrows and we are telling our stories to each other.

I can actually FEEL us bonding and truly becoming 'family' and it feels WONDERFUL!!!

We all seem to be proud of each other and the things we have all overcome and the victories we have had in our lives. We miss the ones who died young and the elders who have gone on.

We are sharing our memories and making news ones together!

At every gathering we plan the next one! 

Now let me take you on a tour of Pam's shop - which is right there in her home.

She is a professional quilter!

Ruth Ann, you  have GOT to go with us the next time we are at her home!!

All quilters will LOVE this room!

She has so many vintage and antique pieces - many of them given to her by her Aunt Gay.

The desk across there has a most unusual story!

Pam's first love when she was just 15 lived close to her Aunt Gay and Uncle Tony and they were friends with this boy's family. Gay purchased several items from this neighbor - the desk being one of them. In process of time, people moved away and life changed. The marvel is that 10 years ago, Pam and her first love crossed paths once again and they married. They have several pieces from her husband's childhood home in the one THEY share now!!!

Is that not the coolest thing??? I love that story and can't wait to hear more!

You can see why we are all having so much fun getting to know each other!!

This is the back of her front desk.

It has a metal top and the boot rail on the front.

It was a bar at some point in its life.

So many stories. So much to see. So little time.

I will go back and take better pictures and write down the histories of some of these fascinating pieces - like this wooden Hoosier cabinet base.

We left there in the middle of the afternoon and are looking forward to more good visits to come.

Mother was happy to be with family today! We all were!

I left a little after 9:00 this morning and returned home a little before 9:00 this evening!

Since I would have had to drive home in stop and go traffic, I shopped Hobby Lobby and then dropped by my sister, Nita's house for a nice long visit. I had a long, full and GOOD day!!