Father's Day Weekend

Did you all have a fun Father's Day weekend?

Did all you fathers out there enjoy your day?

We had a cookout with the whole damn family...and it was really fun and relaxing. We ate lots of good food, made homemade strawberry ice cream with the last of our homegrown strawberries (YUM!), and sat out by the pond fishing, talking, and taking the kids for canoe rides. It really was quite a nice day! And the weather certainly cooperated with us...hot, but not too hot..and just enough breeze to keep it relaxing.

Kendall and her cousin Kayla fished and fished until they had had their pictures taken with just about every fish in the pond. Kendall is proud of every single fish she catches, even if it is only as big as her finger! Kayla reeled in a 10 inch bluegill this year, and boy were we impressed! She caught a pretty good sized bass too. Noah wanted to touch the fish, so we let him...and then he was pretty much over it. He was too busy playing in his Cozy Coupe to care too much about the fishing.

I must admit that I am really happy that I have the in-laws that I do. I feel very blessed to be welcomed into such a nice family, and to feel that I can be myself around them. I know that Barry feels the same way about my family too. And just as importantly, maybe even more so...the fact that they all get along with each other so well. It has never been a problem or been uncomfortable to have them all at our house at the same time...they talk and joke, and are generally comfortable around each other. And so this is what I realized this weekend...

This is what a FAMILY is. And it is a GOOD FAMILY. This is what I want for my kids. Lots of loving family and friends around, good role models, diverse interests and personalities, very little drama or emotional turmoil....THAT is what has become very important to me as I have become older and (somewhat) wiser.

SO... Happy Father's Day (a day late) to all you Dads out there....the world would be a sad, sad place without you!