Christmas in September

This past week I traveled from Muncie to Lafayette to meet up with my parents for our journey to California in the C.O.W. ("Condo On Wheels").  My brother Mark, his wife Pam and 4 kids - Wesley, Alec, Bri and Clare live in Lafayette so we got a chance to spend a few days with them.  It had been almost 3 years since I had seen them last and it was evident in how much everyone had grown!  As a treat I got to cook them some Kazakh food and then some Thai food the following evening.  I think everyone found it a new adventure for their tastebuds!  We celebrated Alec's 16th birthday and then had Christmas since we won't be seeing each other in December.  We had a great visit, laughed a lot, enjoyed how our lives have changed and for me it was a good reminder on the importance of family!