Family is everything!

Moving out of your home town can be really hard. There are days that I am happy for the change and then there are some when I am completely depressed and lonely. Hopefully once I gain employment and get my daughter into a few activities, I won't feel so lonely. On the other hand, once I start working I won't be able to visit my family as often. sigh... Is there really a win win here for me? With that said, family time back home is like a little slice of heaven even though I hate the long ride. Right now we have some obligations in Maryland that keep us going back frequently which really helps when I am missing my family.

I was so happy for us to make it home for Easter. My aunt does a big Easter dinner every year with an egg hunt for the children and one for the adults. We missed last year but I was just over the moon with joy when we were able to make it home this year. We stayed at my moms house and my nephew Jace came over so that my daughter could see him. She absolutely loves her Jace. If he gets in trouble Savanna will say, "Don't you yell at my Jace!". Saturday was the dinner so that morning we dyed eggs with the kids.

I didn't realize how long it takes for those darn little tablets to dissolve so that you can begin the process to dye the eggs. We were supposed to dye the eggs Friday evening but didn't have time so we were struggling for enough time before Easter dinner. We promised the kids that they could do a practice egg hunt with their eggs they decorated so we needed to hurry. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity waiting for those tablets, the kids were able to decorate the eggs. We did the small egg hunt for them and then they hid the eggs for my mom and I. Jace hid the last egg so well that we were late to Easter dinner trying to find it.

Every picture tells a story...

Easter dinner is something that everyone in my family looks forward too. My aunt actually makes her famous lasagna every year for Easter and I do believe that is what keeps everyone coming back. My other favorites were the bacon wrapped asparagus, stuffed baked potatoes and watergate salad. My aunt had made these cute little handmade egg shaped soaps and she cut up egg cartons to place them in. They were a gift to everyone that came. I would share a picture of that but my pig chewed them up and now they are not very presentable. Seeing the family together was amazing. I miss them all so much and I have only been away from them for 3 months!

My aunt was really on top of her game this year. She also made all of the kids easter baskets. Their favorite part was when they dumped out what was in the basket so that they could use it for the egg hunt. Every year, my aunt and uncle fill a ton of eggs with money. They used to include one golden egg in that hunt but they switched things up this year. Once it was time for the egg hunt everyone had to sit outback and wait for the eggs to drop! The youngest kids got a few second head start and then everyone (adults included) took off running to the front yard to find all of these eggs.

I am really not sure if the initial rush in the very beginning is more for the children or the adults. Of course, the smaller children don't end up with as many eggs as the older children but they certainly don't mind. My daughter was filled with joy when she had just a few eggs in her basket. This year my aunt did one special egg that was hidden for the kids. My oldest niece found that egg which included a special soap made just for kids that had a toy lizard inside of the soap. She also won a dancing bunny that plays music. She ended up giving that to my daughter. My family laughed that we would get annoyed on the way home but it was actually entertaining for my daughter when she got bored in the truck. It sure beat her crying the entire ride.

Making memories

After the kids finished their egg hunt they opened up each and every egg and placed their money in bags. They put their candy back in the baskets after that too. Next it was time for the adult egg hunt. Typically there is a golden egg hidden around the yard and the adults look for it throughout their time there. This year the children all sat down and the adults were given 30 minutes to find this special egg. After the timer went off, if the egg was not found then we all lost and the host kept their $20. After searching high and low for about 15 minutes, my sister found the egg on the porch which we had walked right past all day. My mom and cousin apparently didn't get the memo that we were only searching for one single egg because they grabbed baskets and apparently went on their own hunt.

Finally the day was over. We were supposed to go back home on Saturday evening after dinner but we decided to stay until Sunday. My nephew stayed as well so of course the Easter bunny had to make his way to my moms house. It was an unexpected but much needed date on Saturday night when my husband and I went shopping for the Easter bunny. Even though we had stuffed ourselves during the day at my aunts, we went out and grabbed something light to eat since by this point it was around 9:30 pm. We then went back to my moms house and stuffed some more eggs with $1 bills, coins and candy.

Every moment matters

Savanna and Jace don't get as much time together anymore and they really enjoyed all the egg hunting over the weekend. So, the Easter bunny left eggs outside wherever he hopped around to. They were so shocked when they seen the eggs everywhere. My daughter was dressed up because they were playing cops and robbers and she didn't want to take off her costume. Of course because it was morning and Jace still had on his pajamas which looked like a costume, is another big reason why she didn't want to change. They were happy and so excited with their basket and egg hunt that nothing else mattered.

We had one of the best weekends ever. It was one of the best feelings in the world to be back home with my family. Moving away really opened my eyes as to just how important family really is. Now just about everyone that was at the dinner plus a few that couldn't make it, are planning on a cruise together. It isn't until October 2019 but we are all super excited for this. We just need to really start penny pinching to pay for it but I would say that we have plenty of time!

Cherish your family always and forever. Forgive when forgiveness is needed. Love them each and every day as if there is no tomorrow. Laugh with them - call them - hug them. Family is everything.

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