Ah. This is one of those posts that brings smile after smile to my face as I scroll down through the pictures and memory lane. So many good times are represented by each and every shot. I was determined that this event be photographed. I wanted lots of pictures! So I kept my camera with me almost constantly, and enjoyed documenting this event through my lens.

In celebration of this trip, we bought a new car! {not}
No, actually...our daddy purchased this for us (and the rest of the family of course). It has been an adjustment. I mean, I learned how to DRIVE on a 15-passenger van. The smallest thing I've ever driven is our truck. So in this little thing...the first time out I honestly felt like I was going to get killed. It was a very vulnerable feeling. But I am getting used to it. And on road trips like this one...my wallet dearly loves the difference between 14MPG (what I got with the truck) and 45MPG with the car. #yay
Sister and I don't pack lightly. I'm just not sure we will ever to get to place where we don't majorly overpack. Oh well. It was just the two of us and all of our stuff in the car, so we thought the more stuff the merrier and just piled it in. =) Personal luggage, food, food, and more food...a few gifts, camera gear, etc.

And yes, this was yet another typical road trip. You would not believe what all we got into. But since the main point of this post is the reunion and not another tale of a wild road trip...I will leave that part to your imagination.
We met our cousin and her hubby for lunch at Subway before heading over to the B&B. Since marriage has taken her all the way out to that far-off land of Manitoba, our visits aren't very frequent and it had been a whole year since we had seen her. Much to catch up on!

Back in January when we were planning this, we decided on Indiana as the state for the reunion because it was somewhat central for everyone. The first location I thought of for us to stay at was That Pretty Place Bed & Breakfast, in Middlebury, Indiana. The owners attend a church that my family has sung at before and a couple of years ago when we were singing there a few of us stayed at the B&B for a night. It had been a very short stay but it left a big impression on me-the place is gorgeous (totally true to its name) and I knew it would be ideal for our reunion. I was also pretty sure it would be out of our price range but..it never hurts to check! So I did and found out that we could get discounts for 1)renting the whole house,  2) getting it week nights  & 3)making our own breakfasts. I was pretty thrilled about all that because I knew it would be so perfect for us!

Everybody was divided into groups of two (or three) and each group was in charge of a meal. Alli and I and one of the cousins made chicken fajitas for our meal, Sunday evening.
All of the road-weary travelers, gathered together for our first meal and ready to party together!
I have to say, we ate like QUEENS. Every meal! It was SO much fun to do our own cooking! And it definitely cut down on the cost too.
Don't we look like just the sweetest, most mature group of women you have ever seen?
So, weird story here. Apparently...people seem to think that Patty & Corina look alike. And other people think that Corina and I look alike. But no one has ever said that Patty and I look alike. Kinda strange how that all works. We all took a picture together anyways. =)
Back home in time for a late lunch. We had decided to eat out on Monday. There was a dear little cafe just 1/4 mile from the B&B. Kendra told us about it because she had used to work there before she got married. We picked up some menus on our way back from shopping and sat around and decided what we would order before heading back over to the cafe.
We had such lovely times in this little kitchen. Our mothers all love to cook and apparently the love has been passed down pretty well.
We had planned to lay out for the afternoon and get some sun but alas for us, it rained. So we settled with an indoor picnic instead, with our lunches that we had ordered from the nearby cafe.

A random hilarious fact about the weekend is the gang story. OH.MY.WORD. Sooo...several weeks prior to the reunion, a friend from the Middlebury area was visiting our family. And when she heard that us girls were coming to Middlebury for a reunion with our cousins, she told our mother that there had recently been a gang of guys abducting young girls in an area nearby where we were going to be staying. My mother panicked and implored us to never go walking along, to always go out in groups, and to NEVER roam through the woods at night. And to be sure to warn our cousins of this. So the first night we told everyone about the situation. We actually all got quite a laugh out of the mental image of a gang of guys trying to coral and kidnap all nine of us. I think they would have their hands pretty full. =) Anyway...all during the reunion, whenever there was a knock at the door...or something creaked....or somebody was late coming back from their group jog...we would all joke "oh, thats just the gang" or "THE GANG probably got them". It provided lots of entertainment. And nope, we never did get a visit from the infamous gang. Guess they figured we were a force to be reckoned with and passed us by. =)
Deep discussions happened all during those two days, in the randomest of locations and with random groups of people. Here...I believe they were discussing finances and budgeting.
another discussion going on. I believe this one was maybe about blogging and networking and dealing with crazy people that one meets on the internet.
discussing kate middleton and her style, and then just style and beauty in general.
heading out...it was so sad to leave!

before all heading out of state/home for our respective locations, we went to my uncle and aunt's place and enjoyed a delicious lunch that my aunt prepared for us.
For those of you who know what I'm talking about, here is the Mr. Collins wave/expression accurately depicted by Alli and Corina. Minus the greasy hair, of course. =)