Family Grill Off

I cannot believe how fast this month is going. I haven't been super busy, but the time just seems to be slipping by without my realizing it. Has that happened to you too?

We started the month off with a trip out of town. Mike, Michelle and I took a quick trip over to Michigan to see some of Mike's family. It was so much more fun than I imagined it would be. A couple of years ago, they started an annual Grill Off competition, and now that we've reconnected through the internet, we were invited to attend. We didn't compete, just watched and talked and got to know his cousins better. So much fun. Lots of chatting and joking. There are some fierce competitors in that family!

Everyone brought their own grill to make their main dish. There were appetizer, side, and dessert categories as well. Needless to say, we ate VERY well that day. :o)

Here are the judges trying to make their decisions. The dishes were all numbered and the judges weren't supposed to know who made what. I'm so glad I didn't have to be a judge. I would have had a hard time choosing a winner.

While the dishes were being prepared, Michelle and I went exploring in the basement and found this exercise trampoline. This kept here busy for a while. She had so much fun on it, Uncle Bob sent it home with us.

They also brought out a karaoke machine and Michelle had fun singing some Disney songs. She won Entertainer of the Year. I think that made her day.

Here's Mike with his Aunts and Uncle. It was so nice to meet them along with his cousins.

As we were leaving town, Mike noticed the "Hot Now" sign was lit at the Krispy Kreme, so we had to stop in and get our free sample. We don't have a Krispy Kreme near us, and Michelle was really little the last time we were, so this was like her first time. She LOVED them. I think she'll be on the lookout for a Krispy Kreme the next time we go into the cities.

On our way home, we decided to take a quick detour over to Lake Michigan. We ended up on a dead end, dirt road, but we got to see it. Maybe next time we'll get to spend another day or so and get to do more sight seeing.

It happened to be Michelle's 9th birthday the day we left for this trip and I wanted to make it special for her. I picked up 8 little gifts, (by little, I mean inexpensive) and a big gift for her to unwrap as we traveled. I wrapped them each up and numbered them. Every hour or so along our trip she got to pick a number and open that gift. I tried to find things she could do in the car--a coloring book, magnetic doll, magna-doodle, etc. We brought along a large cookie sheet for her to use as a desk in her lap. It worked out pretty well. Her "big" gift was a lego set and she was able to put it together on the cookie sheet. I think there was only a couple of turns Mike made where a couple of legos fell off the edge. Not only did it make her day feel special, it was a great way to pass the 10 hours of traveling. I wanted to take pictures, but unfortunately left my battery charging at home and couldn't take any until we found a camera store and picked up a spare battery. I did get a couple of shots on the tablet, but I have no idea how to get those pictures onto this computer.

Well, we just finished the Birthday Slumber Party so I need to go sort through the pictures for another post, after I take a nap. :o)