We started off from Long Lake, MN around 8am on Thursday morning. I woke up around 6:45am. Quite early. Quite sleepy. But Laurie kept me entertained on the way down. Sarah and Dave rode in the back seat.

We arrived in Sioux Falls, SD at my Aunt Kim and Uncle Tom’s house around 12:30pm. I was surrounded by Laurie, Sarah, Dave, Tom, Kim, Jennifer, Jonathan, Micheal, Gramma, Grampa and Uncle Roger. Kim prepared a fantastic Thanksgiving lunch and I was pretty much prepared to never eat again.

After a brief nap to the tune of That 70’s Show, Mom, Dad, Ryan, Jane and Christine (a German exchange student at USD this semester) arrived. They visited for a while and I tried to wake up, but not terribly successfully. Around 4pm they shoved Sarah, Dave and me in Mom’s van and we headed a few blocks south to Aunt Deb’s house. Brandon, Brock, Deb and Gramma D were all gathered. Brandon’s weiner-dog, Smokey, was doing tricks or being fat, I’m sure. Entertainment all around. Brandon and Brock left to see their dad for a bit while we ate more food. Well, everyone else except Deb and Gramma D had not had a real Thanksgiving meal yet. So I just ate more food. Everyone visited for a while and Smokey entertained us with his big-dog-in-a-small-dog’s-body tricks.

When the pinochle started I went downstairs and passed out in front of National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation for a while. I woke up to Sister Act and not too much later, Brandon and Brock returned. We had some dessert then got on the road. Dad, Mom, Sarah, Dave, Christine, Jane, Ryan and I all shoved into the van. But it was only a 45 minute drive to Vermillion so we didn’t suffer too much.

The next morning I woke up too early (before the parents!). Oh, well. After a cinnamon roll and some orange juice, I began helping Mom make lunch. Laurie, Gramma and Grampa were headed to town.

We ate more food and took a few minutes after lunch to hang out. Gramma decided it was time to play more card games and Laurie and I learned how to play “Hand and Foot” with Gramma, Ryan, Mom and Jane.

Then there was pinochle and “Garbage” going on, and I decided to cuddle with the kitties for a while. We got going around 5:30pm and went downtown to the Eagle’s, where they were having Steak Night and bingo! Laurie won two free drinks but otherwise we didn’t have much luck.

Around 9pm, Gramma, Grampa, Laurie, Sarah, Dave and I shoved into Gramma and Grampa’s car. The ride was a little longer, but about halfway to the farm we managed to find an arrangement in which we were all slightly more comfortable. Sort of. The next morning, Grampa gave Dave a tour of Alvord, IA and I decided to ride along because I was desperate to take even more photos.

Gramma and Grampa just sold some of their land for a couple new streets and houses to be built in Alvord. It is called the “Sullivan Addition.” It was sort of strange to see the little hydrants all by their lonesome in the new addition. It will also be strange to see more houses and new streets added to Alvord!

After that excursion, I played with the six farm cats. Three orange brothers, a siamese girl, and two black and white cats. I took too many photos of them, but how often do I get to love 6 cats at once?

After eating some of Gramma’s delicious spaghetti, I took a few more photos around their house. Laurie, Sarah, Dave and I got back on the road to Minneapolis around 3pm and it was a quiet, tired ride home.

It was so good to get home. I brought myself to Legend’s for a light dinner and a beer. After I got home for the evening, Kristi and her family returned from a fun Northeast Minneapolis evening and Kristi and I vented while the family watched a movie in her room.

Today was pretty quiet. I had quite the time uploading photos; I was about ready to shove my computer out of the window. But, finally, they were up and the family had left and Kristi and I are headed over to Karyn’s for some free supper in just a few minutes.

I hope my family lets me continue to take way too many photos of them! I’m sure I shoved my camera in their faces quite enough.