Corn Carnival Gladbrook, IA 2011

Momma Mavis...the Queen of coffee grind!

Kirk on the Midway at Corn Carnival.

Even Lily enjoyed Corn Carnival with cousin, Chipper (Al's dog)

The new front steps...way to go Kirk!

Once again it was time to go to Gladbrook, IA for the annual Corn Carnival. It's always a time for a family reunion, however brief, of Kirk's immediate family. Bev and Al, Gena and Courtney, Kirk and I, and of course Mavis (Kirk's mom), along with Kirk's kids, Nate and his wife, Lindsey, and Heather and her son, Damon. Bev's son, Brad and his wife, Shaila also visited. Shaila is going to have a baby in October. How wonderful. We ate bbq's and lots of other food. Mavis made a special treat of "coffee grind", which is a favorite for the whole family, but everyone knows she makes it for Kirk cause "he's her favorite"! The carnival itself was slightly disappointing this year, but it's never a disappointment when the family is together. Also, got to see great friends, Dan and Amy. Kirk also rebuilt his mom's front steps, and placed a basement window well with Al's help. Another great weekend with family and friends.

Golf Outing 6-19-11

What a picture...Bella, Nicki, Ben and Isaac, Robyn and Ady, Kristy

Women's team wins again! Bev and Alex, Reina, Nicki, Elena

Pretty Pink Lady!

Jim and Elena....Awesome hosts!

Bella, Chuy, and Papa Kirk making rounds at the campground.

Kirk and I made our annual trip to Monmouth, IL for the Rainbow Riders Golf Outing in memory of Bob Almaguer (my brother). Nicki, Bella, and Isaac drove down to our campground the night before we left for Illinois so that they could ride down with us. While at the campground, Bella had a ball riding around with Papa Kirk in the golf cart while he made rounds (campground host). Elena and Jim hosted a party at their home the night before the outing. They are so great and do this every year. Everyone enjoyed food, drinks, swimming, and wonderful company. There were 17 or 18 teams of 4 entered in the tournament this year. Kirk played with Rudy (Bev's husband, and my brother), Jim (Elena's husband), Adam (Rudy and Bev's son, and Alex's dad). I played with Bev (sister-in-law), Elena (sister), and Nicki (daughter-in-law, and Ben's wife). Our women's team had won last year and so we were having to defend our title. Mary (Adam's wife) had played with us last year, but couldn't make it this year because of work, so Nicki gladly joined us. The women retained their title (YAY), and not sure where our guys placed. We all had a blast though! After the tournament we all gathered at the club house where Ben, Isaac, Bella, Kristy, Robyn, and Ady joined us. Oh yeah, I won a driver in a drawing which Kirk loves. A big thanks to Penny Mackey for putting the tournament together and making sure everything ran smoothly. She's the best!! As always, another great weekend with family!

RV Camp with Ady and Camryn 6-2011

Watch out peeps....the girls are sizzlin!

Cowgirls at heart

Jumbo marshamallows make yummy s'mores.

Best friends playing at Chapparal Campground

One of the many perks of working in WI this Summer is being close to family. Kirk and I enjoyed entertaining Adyson (granddaughter) and her friend, Camryn (visiting from AZ) while Robyn and Kristy were at a weekend retreat in MN. Kirk met Robyn with the girls in Eau Claire where he was getting the RV serviced. The girls rode back with Kirk in the RV to our campground. We had so much fun that weekend. They loved their mega s'mores, went horseback riding at Potter's in La Valle, swam in the pool, and played at the campground. They were non-stop which made for great sleeping in the evenings. Of course, as always when Ady visits, she made our coffee every morning, and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I love our special times together.