Just My Opinion - by Mary Kilen
Family Time Is The Best
Watching the weather forecast last week was highly stressful around our house. The kids were supposed to be coming for Easter, but every time I looked at the news, the forecast was pretty consistent about the possibility of snow starting on Thursday. It indicated that our little corner of the state should be fine, but the kids had to come from Bismarck.
The weatherman wasn’t wrong. That storm came in with an attitude. Amanda and the kids debated what to do, but they decided to try it after Amanda’s appointment on Friday morning. The roads finally got better and they made it late in the afternoon. Zach stayed in Bismarck because he takes care of a good share of his neighbors with snow removal and he wanted to do that before he left on Saturday morning. I feel really proud of the care and consideration he has for them, especially some of the older people in his neighborhood.
He made it early on Saturday afternoon while the rest of us were at the Easter Eggstravaganza at the Peaceful Prairie Ponderosa. We had a great time out there thanks to all of the volunteers and donors that made that event possible.
After we got back, Amanda had an Easter egg hunt for the kids in our front yard. We picked Saturday afternoon because the weather looked better than it would be Sunday morning. They all headed to Dakota Drug afterwards for Whirla Whips. Well, the kids had their treats. Amanda gave up sweets for Lent and Zach gave up ice cream. Zach ordered his to go and had it for Easter breakfast.
We colored eggs on Saturday night. It was funny because we were not sure if the kids were “too old” for that activity, but it turns out they were all in and had a good time. They used the traditional dying method, but we also had a tie dye kit. They turned out really cool, even if the box made it look way different from the results we achieved.
Sunday started with Easter baskets and we enjoyed a dinner that included Dale’s deep fried turkey. I was pretty nervous about that turkey. Turns out that buying a turkey at Easter isn’t as easy as it sounds. My poor turkey looked pretty flat, but it was just a collapse in the carcass that made it look like that.
After lunch, we hung out for a bit and Jozie got to open her birthday present before they headed back to Bismarck.
It was a packed nearly 48 hours. We had fun. We laughed. We ate great food. We spent quality time together.
I’m not gonna lie. Getting to spend that time together is always the best. It flies by and before you know it, the car is loaded and they are backing out of the driveway. The memories, however, last a lifetime.