Ice Cream Treat

Knowing we'd be exhausted from the drive home from Crater Lake, I had Peter and myself take Monday off from work so we could sleep in and relax. We took a long time to get motivated for the day. Didn't help that Chewie just wanted to give loves and cuddles after being away from us all weekend!

 Once motivated, Peter and I took Kristjan for $1.31 scoops at Baskin Robbins (Clifford preferred staying home alone to play video games). Yum!

Nielsen Family Reunion 2017

It's that time of year again for the Nielsen Family Reunion. Peter and I were in charge this year (though we had plenty of help from Aunt Janet - Thank You!). At the end of last year's reunion, the majority voted for Crater Lake. This was some place everyone has always wanted to go, plus the travel distance would more or less be equal for those coming from both Washington and California. We found a pretty sweet rental house, which had plenty of room inside the house as well as room for RV's. Here are the highlights from the reunion (side note: we had two new-comers join us, Ed and Angela! They're friends of Matt and Franie's, and it was a pleasure having them come along for the fun!):

DAY ONE

Everyone arrived and worked on getting everything settled and organized. Dinner was BBQ potluck. The evening was spent with the adults chatting and catching up with one another while the kids ran around (happily) screaming and playing.

DAY TWO

The morning started off with an amazing waffle breakfast put on by Franie and Tara, followed by a walk around the property. After whipping up a picnic lunch, everyone packed into their cars to go check out Crater Lake. Back at the house, everyone just hung out and relaxed. Peter and I went off for a little drive to see if we could find a rock climbing spot (no luck). Dinner was Tacos. Finally, most of us finished the night with a game of Cards Against Humanity. Aunt Kim, who had never played it before, was a HOOT! So many laughs were shared that night!

 (Franie showing Clifford "loves" LOL)

 (There goes Franie showing Clifford some "love" again LOL)

DAY THREE

A small group of us decided to head back into Crater Lake to do two day hikes (not sure what everyone else who stayed behind did). Dinner was our traditional Potluck, followed by the family group picture. Later that night another small group of us drove back into Crater Lake for some star gazing. 

 (A much deserved drink after finishing the second hike!)

 Nielsen Family Reunion 2017!

DAY FOUR

Time to clean, pack up and say goodbye until next year! Our little family took a detour with Franie & Matt and Ed & Angela for lunch at In 'n Out (YUM!!) before making the long drive home.

 (Franie showing Clifford some "love" one last time! LOL)

 CHEWIE and SHEEBA

We ended up having friends watch the dogs for us while we went out of town. They kept us updated each day on how Chewie and Sheeba were doing.