July 1-6

Ahhhh vacations in the homeland.

It's always nice getting to go home for a while. I enjoy the time in Oklahoma, I like the area where my parents live, I love the house, I enjoy the time spent with my parents and family. When we got down there on Thursday, my parents were very happy to see us. We got to sit back, talk, and just spend a good time hanging out with my parents. We got there later than I thought we would, around dinner time... but we made it nonetheless... and we got to sleep in. It was nice.

Mom and Dad showed us what we would be eating the next night (Friday)... and it looked awesome. They watched this show called "Primal Grill", and they got really excited about the type of steaks they made on the show. My mom and dad wanted to try it out, and it sounded like an awesome experience... if things turned out alright. Holly and I gave my dad his birthday present (2 days early), which was the Jim Gaffigan DVD, King Baby. My dad loved it, and we all watched it that night. BACON!

On Friday, we learned that Brett, my sister's boyfriend, was going to be coming down to hang out with us... I guess he heard about the steaks. I don't blame him. I would come too! ...anyways, Holly thought it'd be a good idea to go get my birthday present for today's grill. ...well, my birthday present isn't a grill... but it was a camera! Holly got me a video camera from best buy, I went with her, and we picked one out. I got to use it to make a video about the food we ate that night... nom nom nom.

So, Holly and I got back from getting the camera, and I plugged it in to charge it, when, all of a sudden, Brett shows up! He comes pulling up the driveway, and out of the car pops Laura! What the heck? Laura wasn't supposed to be able to make it... but it was a surprise! We were all surprised, but mom was inside, in the kitchen. She didn't know Laura was going to surprise her... so, we all walked in to watch my mom's reaction (which I should've got on camera, but didn't think of it)... and my mom was so so happy that Laura made it! It was awesome... and we were all happy that Laura and Brett got to come.

The steaks. Now, this is the best part. To save time, here's the video.

That sums it up. The best steak ever. Holly also made this awesome cake for both my dad and myself... because our birthdays are so close together. I saw this recipe for a Blue Velvet cake online a few days ago, and mentioned it to Holly... so she made it! Ahhh... it had blue berries in it... the sauce... the cake... ahhh it was so good. There was so much good food that night, that I am drooling right now, just typing about it.

Saturday meant me, Holly, mom and dad, Laura and Brett all going to Eufaula lake, where Alex (my brother) and Kendall (his wife) were. We grilled out, but nothing compared to the night before. We showed them the video, and told them about how they missed out on the best steak ever. Sucks to be them! :) We played in the rain, shot off some fireworks, then came back to Ft. Gibson for church the next day.

Church was alright, I got to see a lot of people, as always, and give out hugs. Kids came up, bigger, taller, and some able to talk now... and gave me hugs. I went back with the kids for JAM time, and we all had a good time back there. They're looking for a children's minister again, so I hope they find one... and it be a good CM. After church, Holly and I went to the lake, with Kindal and Lori Beth in tow. I'm glad they got to come down with us to hang out. Jason Dallis and his girlfriend were there, but they left after a few hours to go home and spend time with the family. Alex, Kindal, and myself all blew up fireworks, and were about to head to Eufaula to watch the big money wasters, when our neighbor at the lake turned out to be a big money waster himself... so we just watched his fireworks. That dude must've spent at least 10k on fireworks. I know that's not as much as some big fireworks show... but for a single person... dang. It was a nice evening. Glad I got to hang out with Alex and Kindal, their respective wives, as well as my own. :)

Monday meant clean up and Holly and I driving back to Kansas. We stayed the night at Holly's folks again, to cut up the Oklahoma>Nebraska drive. Honestly, we could've drove the last 2.5 hours back, but we already said we'd be stopping by for the night. Tuesday, we drove back, and just relaxed at the Porter's. It was my 24th birthday on Tuesday, and even though we drove and didn't do much of anything, I still count the whole weekend as more than enough to cover the actual day of my birth. I loved the weekend we got to spend with friends and family... and it was one of, if not the BEST weekends I've ever spent in Oklahoma since moving away from home.

Thanks to my family for loving me and ensuring that time spent at home is the best it can be!

clint