Thankful Thursday ~ Grandma's 90th Birthday Bash

Jeff and I were in Iowa last week/weekend for my Grandma's 90th Birthday Party and family reunion. Since I live in Montana, I don't get to see my family very often, so it was really great to see my immediate family and also the extended family on my Dad's side. My Thankful Thursday post this week is pretty simple-- thankful for the time spent with family, in Iowa, and for Grandma giving us a pretty good reason to all get together!



These are almost all of my cousins! And that's Grandma (My Dad's Mom) right in smack-dab in the middle of all of us. There was only one of my cousins who couldn't make it, so that's pretty much the whole crazy bunch. It was really cool to see everyone. We have a very wide age range, as you can see, and some of my cousins I hadn't seen in more than a few years. It was cool to reconnect and to visit with family. I wished that I had more time to spend to really visit with everyone, but the weekend was also pretty busy.

Here's another nice photo of my Dad and his siblings with Grandma:

Again, just so cool to get everyone together. I love visiting with family and seeing in them traits that I also see in myself, whether it's a physical trait or a personality trait.

The family all got together the day before Grandma's party to just visit and reconnect. We did a walking tour of Keota, IA to see the sights and reminisce. I have very fond memories of visiting Grandma's house as a kid. That afternoon, too, the family did a butterfly memorial for my cousin's infant daughter who passed away unexpectedly earlier this spring. 

It was a really lovely moment, with the music box playing while monarchs were released into the summer air. It was really easy to feel the spirit of a child, watching the butterflies lilt away. I was thankful simply to be present and to witness the moment.


Backtracking a bit, earlier in the week prior to Grandma's party and the family gathering, we were at my parents' house spending time with them and my brother. The house has changed a lot since I lived there growing up. Mom and Dad have done a complete remodel of the interior of the house and they have also done some work in the yard and landscape.

Most notably, they added this giant brick oven. Which, you guessed it, makes fabulous pizzas! Some of the neighbors and long-time friends of the family joined us one night for a gourmet, wood-fired pizza dinner!

Dad stands next to the pizza oven, before lighting it.

 We made seven different pizzas, ranging from traditional to exotic in topping choices. My favorites were the Pineapple/Canadian Bacon and the Chorizo-Date, but they were all pretty excellent. Something about that wood fire just makes pizza taste soooooo good!

Dad slips a pizza into the oven.

 There were hardly any leftovers at all the next day...

Pineapple and Canadian Bacon Pizza

 ...but what there was, I definitely ate for breakfast! And then I felt guilty that I forgot to save some for my brother. Sorry Ryan!

Another highlight was going on the Penny Adam Photography Tour of Central Iowa. That's what I'm calling it anyway. Mom's photography has reached expert levels and some of her work is being shown in gallery spaces around the area. It was really cool to see what she's done! This piece, below, is one of my favorite projects of hers. One side is her photo and the other side is a painting of the other half of her photo. Can you tell which is which?!

The truck featured in the photo is actually near our house in Montana. I think it's neat that some of Montana is hanging up in a gallery in Iowa. :)

We saw many more people and did a lot more than just what was pictured here, including participating in a 5K Fun Run. I'm working on another post all about the 5K experience.

So, not too deep this week with Thankful Thursday, but mostly just appreciative of the time spent with family and friends while we were in Iowa. You don't get to choose your family, but if I could have, I would have chosen this one anyway. Love you guys!