Thursday 7/1:
Our original Delta flight was cancelled (seems to happen a lot with Delta) and we were, at first, put on a flight the next morning. We were lucky to get one of the few spots on a flight an hour earlier than our original flight and that put us in Huntsville about 2 hours earlier than planned, so it didn't work out too badly. Once we got to Huntsville (around 7:30 PM), we got our rental car (the ugly Chevy HHR) and headed to Leeds.
Friday 7/2:
On Friday we went and visited with MawMaw and Mr. Gene for a little while and saw their really nice garden. They had a lot of cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes. We also went by the bank so I could close out my checking account that I hadn't used in a long time. When we got back we spent some time with Dad since he had to go to work that night. That afternoon, we (Mom, Lauren, and I) went over to Steve and Susan's where we got to see our new nephew, Luke, and Elizabeth (and Steve and Susan), swam, and had a ton of food (a ton of food seemed to be the one constant throughout our trip). Brian and Cindy were also able to make it out there, so it was great to see them too!
Saturday 7/3:
We had originally planned to go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast this morning, but Mom made the mistake of asking me if there was somewhere else I wanted to go. She then gave me some options and me saying "Wherever you'd like to go" was not an acceptable answer. It's tough for me to turn down the Pita Stop in Southside (B'ham). So, after being indecisive for a little while, I finally decided on the Pita Stop. I always get the chicken kabob platter when I go there and I am never disappointed. The food was really good (as always)! I recommend it to anyone.
Once we got back home, it was time to leave for Florence. We made a quick stop by MawMaw and Mr. Gene's and headed north. We got up there at about 5:00 PM, just in time for Lauren's grandfather's birthday party to start. I think there were around 75 of her Mom's family there for the event and it was a great chance to see everyone. I'm glad it started later in the day so that the afternoon heat had a chance to cool off.
Sunday 7/4:
We went to church at St. Michael's this morning and stuck around afterwards for the 4th of July BBQ and Chicken Stew that they cook each year. It was really good and they were selling out of everything by about 1:00. Brian, Janie, Samantha, and Ellie were at the house when we got back (Michael, Jackie, Chloe, and Jolie had been there since Saturday) and we all had lunch.
That evening, we all went over to Lauren's aunt and uncle's house for the family reunion. In total, there were about 105 people that came for it. I got to meet a lot of her family from New Orleans, Mississippi, and Texas, along with her family in Florence and close by. Again, tons of food and again, thankful that the event started in the early evening instead of the afternoon! We didn't get back until about midnight. It was great to see everyone and hopefully, we'll be able to see them again soon!
Monday 7/5:
Monday was mostly a lazy day until we went back to the airport. We went back over to Lauren's aunt and uncle's to help eat some of the food that was left over from the reunion (still a lot of food!). After that we were on our way back to the Huntsville airport. Once we got to the airport, we were notified that our flight was overbooked (Delta is not high on my list of airlines to fly, right now). So after a little while, we were able to get the Delta staff to put us on an earlier, direct flight into DC. This turned out much better since we got in at 8:00 PM instead of our originally scheduled 10:20 PM.
I'll put some pictures up soon! It was great seeing everyone and we hope to see you soon!
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