This past Saturday was an exciting day for the whole family and, we think, Andrew's intended, Hannah, as well--it was time for her to meet the relatives! Ours, that is. Most of Hannah's relatives are in PA, a little too far off for a casual Saturday afternoon excursion, although I believe there are plans in the works to expose them to Andrew in due course. Most of our relatives live about forty minutes from our house, so it made sense for her to meet them first.
The first stop on such a momentous occasion should always be, of course, a restaurant, so, before visiting anyone, we made a pit-stop at the Golden Corral. Normally, those types of buffets aren't high on my list of wished-for dining experiences, but I was really hungry, and "To the hungry soul...", etc. I can actually recommend the meatloaf. After a traumatic meatloaf experience at a defunct (I hope) diner when I was a teenager, I have avoided any restaurant meat-in-a-pan for years. I'm convinced that half of them are pure soy, anyway. But the meatloaf there was actually really good, and it's supposedly made with real beef and pork. However, to balance that out, I have dark suspicions about that chocolate fountain. I'm not sure it's real chocolate. It sure doesn't taste like it. Anyway.
Then we proceeded to Grandma's house (Grandpa and Aunt Margie live there as well, but 'Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Margie's house' doesn't have as snappy a ring to it). They didn't know Hannah was coming, so that was a big surprise for them all, but they were really glad to meet her, and we ended up staying about an hour and a half. Hannah played the piano while we sang hymns (particularly Grandpa's favorite, 'Victory in Jesus'), and we had a good 'visiting time' as Grandma and Aunt Margie got to know Hannah more. Aunt Margie had some new jewelry for Abby and me (awesome!), and I also got to try a Snapple. Those of you who know me well realize that this is not a everyday occurrence; normally, I only drink water, coffee and the occasional glass of juice. But I'm now a fan of Snapple Raspberry Tea. Good stuff!
After this, we cruised on over to Uncle Mike and Aunt Diane's house, just a few minutes down the road from my Grandma's. Alas, my cousin Steven and his new wife Sarah weren't able to join us, but my cousin Melissa managed to make it. We young people ended up down in their basement, replete with coffee and games. We discovered a new game called 'Blurt'--it's sort of like Outburst, only you have to come up with one word instead of a list. A.J. and I beat Team Handrew by three points (yes!). Tanya and William happily busied themselves with playdoh upstairs while the 'grown-ups' talked. Altogether, it was a really good visit, and all the relatives seemed to like Hannah a lot. At least, there were no complaints! :) And I think the feeling was mutual--Hannah just might be able to bear being related to our family (joke--remember, joke!).
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. School certainly keeps you busy!
The first stop on such a momentous occasion should always be, of course, a restaurant, so, before visiting anyone, we made a pit-stop at the Golden Corral. Normally, those types of buffets aren't high on my list of wished-for dining experiences, but I was really hungry, and "To the hungry soul...", etc. I can actually recommend the meatloaf. After a traumatic meatloaf experience at a defunct (I hope) diner when I was a teenager, I have avoided any restaurant meat-in-a-pan for years. I'm convinced that half of them are pure soy, anyway. But the meatloaf there was actually really good, and it's supposedly made with real beef and pork. However, to balance that out, I have dark suspicions about that chocolate fountain. I'm not sure it's real chocolate. It sure doesn't taste like it. Anyway.
Then we proceeded to Grandma's house (Grandpa and Aunt Margie live there as well, but 'Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Margie's house' doesn't have as snappy a ring to it). They didn't know Hannah was coming, so that was a big surprise for them all, but they were really glad to meet her, and we ended up staying about an hour and a half. Hannah played the piano while we sang hymns (particularly Grandpa's favorite, 'Victory in Jesus'), and we had a good 'visiting time' as Grandma and Aunt Margie got to know Hannah more. Aunt Margie had some new jewelry for Abby and me (awesome!), and I also got to try a Snapple. Those of you who know me well realize that this is not a everyday occurrence; normally, I only drink water, coffee and the occasional glass of juice. But I'm now a fan of Snapple Raspberry Tea. Good stuff!
After this, we cruised on over to Uncle Mike and Aunt Diane's house, just a few minutes down the road from my Grandma's. Alas, my cousin Steven and his new wife Sarah weren't able to join us, but my cousin Melissa managed to make it. We young people ended up down in their basement, replete with coffee and games. We discovered a new game called 'Blurt'--it's sort of like Outburst, only you have to come up with one word instead of a list. A.J. and I beat Team Handrew by three points (yes!). Tanya and William happily busied themselves with playdoh upstairs while the 'grown-ups' talked. Altogether, it was a really good visit, and all the relatives seemed to like Hannah a lot. At least, there were no complaints! :) And I think the feeling was mutual--Hannah just might be able to bear being related to our family (joke--remember, joke!).
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. School certainly keeps you busy!
Hannah on the piano at my Grandma's house.
In Uncle Mike's basement, playing Blurt.
Two lovely ladies--Melissa and Abby!
Team Handrew
You're never too old to play with Play-doh!
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