A Fabulous Family Weekend

At last I can say that the vacation rental in Garland, TX is officially finished! (picture me clapping and doing a happy dance right now) We got it all done and had our inspection and we passed with flying colors. The inspector only had me fix one thing that was very simple and we’re good.

We have now had several guests and we’re up and running. Halleluyer!

One thing we really wanted was a place that was centrally located to all of our kids. Garland was a great spot because two of the kids (not kids I guess since they’re grown and flown) live there and the rest of them are a 5-ish hour drive or less. (I say “-ish” because you know how it is traveling with toddlers!) We wanted to be able to use the place for family gatherings, and that is exactly what we did last weekend. (me dancing again)

When we knew we were nearly finished with the house I texted our family group and asked everyone to toss out possible dates they could get together. With this many people it’s near impossible to accommodate everyone, but we got very close. All but one of the kids made it and we had a fabulous time together!

These days it’s so much more than James and I + the 9 kids. There are in-laws and grandkids and it keeps on growing. This past weekend we had 20 people in that cute little house and were bursting at the seams. But we made it work and it was super special.

On Friday night there were less of us so we had a quieter evening. We had tacos (which is east for me to eat low carb!) and played a new game called “Cards Christians Like”. It was so funny, we all kept cracking up at the cards and people’s answers. These card makers really seem to get the church life. You can only purchase it through their site, so here’s a link if you want to order one for yourself.

On Saturday we all were there and it was a bit more crowded. But I laid out a basic charcuterie for lunch (I forgot to take any pictures but it was just lunch meat, cheese, fruits, veggies, nuts, pickles, various regular and gluten-free crackers and breads, etc.) I don’t have serving dishes there, so I put each thing on its own paper plate and laid them out in a pretty arrangement and it actually looked nice! This is the third year I have done a charcuterie for this get-together because we have so many dietary restrictions this makes it easier for everyone.

Saturday we played another new game called Tapple. It was super easy to play with everyone while we just sat around the room. Of course, we are all pretty hard core game players so some rounds went on and on and on. These people never cease to amaze me with their cleverness! Some rounds I was happy to go out early so I could just sit back and soak in the people around me going after a win.

Saturday evening we ordered pizza from a nearby Blaze. Again, they can accommodate all of the dietary needs so it was easy and I felt done cooking (if you have followed me at all you know I really don’t enjoy cooking). Between the pizza and all of the leftover lunch foods we had plenty for the rest of our day.

In the evening, before the sun went down we all piled outside to take a family picture. I do miss that one kid who isn’t in it, but who knows if we will ever be able to capture the whole crew. Since we’re all spread out and there are so many schedules to work around it would be hard. So I’m happy with what God gives me. I am planning to frame this and hang it in our little private apartment there as a reminder of our first family gathering of, hopefully, many in this house.

By Sunday afternoon everyone had gone home and it was back to the reality that we all live far apart. I aspent the afternoon alone, cleaning the house and prepping for the next guests. I stayed an extra day to get a few things done and drove back home on Tuesday after a quick visit with my grandgirls there. I can finally rest a little, although working on the Garland house has given me some momentum so I will probably get going on some projects at home that I have been procrastinating on for the past….oh…..ten years or so. LOL!

I expect/hope we will all get together again this year for Christmas. This is our year for Christmas since we alternate with the married kids. After raising kids for 100 years and that whole time it felt like it would never end, somehow it did. Of course, we still have 3 boys at home, but even they are nearly grown and don’t need “Mommy” anymore. I know I’ve said it before, but it felt like it changed very quickly from all of us together all the time to everyone off and doing their own thing. I miss those “all of us together” days, but I don’t miss the grocery bills, late night dramas or being responsible for other people.

And there really is nothing like sitting in a room filled with the people you raised and watching them enjoy each other. It’s my favorite feeling (insert slow, thoughtful happy dance)

If you’re going to be in the Garland area and need a place to stay, be sure to check out our listing there. It’s cute and comfortable and we LOVE our guests!

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