what a holiday!

warning- long post- pictures to come
After a 10 day vacation to BC, I have returned home safe and sound. I am already bored out of my mind, but that is neither here nor there. It was a wonderful vacation with lots of people, lots of sun, and lots of fun... Can you ask for anything better?
I left home on Friday June 30, on my own in my Saturn, for the drive to Kamloops for the first night. The drive was uneventful mostly, and I really enjoyed doing it alone, stopping whenever I wanted, singing, talking to myself, and taking pictures at completely random moments- it was great!
Early Saturday, with my car locked up and our new RV unhitched, I jumped into dads brand new GMC to join him and mom on the trip to the lower mainland, Surrey to be precise, where we had a wedding to attend and would spend two nights before moving on. The wedding was lovely, the dance at the reception was awesome, and it was really fun to see some people that I havn't seen alot(or any) of in the last little while. It was also neat because my whole immediate family was there. I spent the two nights in Surrey at Ashely's place(a friend from Kings) and hanging out with her is never dull!
Sunday morning, we were heathens and skipped church in favor of heading to the ocean(Whyte Cliff) with her sister's family and some friends of theirs. It was interesting because not only have I not been on the beach in the Northern Hemisphere in ages, we ended up at the beach with a total of 17 other people(19 with Ashley and me included) and I didn't know one of them!(3 young couples with a total of 11 kids amongst them!). Although it wasn't a sandy beach, there was a ton of grass to relax and tan on, and some rock outcroppings to climb so the day was a fun one! We returned to her house to a delicious dinner of Mac and Cheese and then made arrangements to go to another beach that night(White Rock) with none other than Mikey(another friend from Kings) and her Ashley's brother Justin. It was a great night with tons of pictures and lots of walking, a really a good time overall!
Monday dawned another sunny day, and while waiting for my older brother and his girlfriend to pick me up for the drive north, tanning by the pool was a must . After they finally showed up, it was off to Scotch Creek, north of Salmon Arm, where we were going to attend a five day family reunion to celebrate my mom's parents 55th year of marriage! On the way up, we saw what looked like the beginning stages of a forest fire just south of Kamloops. At first it was white smoke, but by the time it was behind us, it was grey and hazy and covered much of the sky. What a sight!
With our arrival at the campground and the hugs and hellos finished, family reunion began. This is with, among others, the cousins that came to visit on Easter Weekend, which was an awesome weekend, and I was not let down in my expectations of this being an amazing week! Visiting with family, some of whom I havn't seen in five years(since the last reunion) and others that I have lived down the hall from(Erica), promised to be an interesting week. It rained 3 nights in a row, just for an hour the first night, a little longer but earlier the second night, and poured for a legnthy period of time on the third, but that just made it even more of an adventure! There were fires every night, and lots of laughter, drinking, and stories told as we clumped together around that flicker of extra warmth. Days were long, but in a good way, and it was relaxing to never have anything pressing to do.
Friday, after packing up, I stopped in Salmon Arm for a nap, a cow chase, and a shower, before it was off to Vernon to spend a couple nights, attend a wedding and visit some more! 10 of us cousins met up for dinner, and it was nice to see people in normal, non-camping mode, and then I was off to Jennie's(friend from Kings) to spend a my two nights. Jennie, Jack(another friend from Kings. She was Jennie's roommate and is from Edmonton, I got the pleasure of driving home with her. Shove Shoe Jack!), and I talked late Friday night and hit the beach Saturday morning before it was wedding time. This wedding was for a cousin of mine, and in a park and it was hot, but despite the heat it was beautiful. The reception was literally in a barn, and once the dance started it rocked! Jack came out for a bit, and it was a good time by all!!!
Sunday meant home time. After getting picked up early to get my car from the reception, and saying the last of the goodbye's, Jack and I headed to the liquor store... No joke. It was like 10 in the morning, we needed a drink! Kidding, Jack wanted to buy some wine for Jennie's parents. Trip home was again uneventful, cept for the ghost truck, when we thought we were getting a ticket, and the four bears. It was definitely a relief to get home and fall into bed. So. With those 10 days behind me, it is time to head back into reality. Back to work, pretending I have a social life, and planning for my sisters looming wedding. Gonna be interesting, thats for sure!
And a joke, with no purpose or point...
One evening, two Alabama State Trooper patrol cars were in hot pursuit of a Chevy Camaro going east on I-20 toward Georgia. When the suspect crossed the Georgia line, the first Trooper pulled over quickly.
The rookie Trooper pulled over right behind him and asked, "Hey Sarge, why did you stop?"
The Sarge replied, "You stupid rookie! That guy's in Georgia now. They're an hour ahead of us, so we'll never catch him."