Fam Reunion (Haukedahl that is)

Saturday 7/16, Woke up too late to go to the big breakfast so we ate there and got ready, Mom braided my hair, and then Dad came back to pick us up. Lish was staying cause she was sick, but the rest of us piled into the Saturn and away we went. Got there and everyone was still eating and Ilene was like, “you better eat a pancake, or else” so Aubs and I shared one. We looked at all kinds of pictures and stuff at the front of the room of Grandma and the rest of the family. It was really neat to see all of it. We all got name tags and signed up and then we boarded a bus, well not everyone, just the people who paid to go on the tour, so all the white trash people in the fam stayed behind…well not literally, but it’s too much to write on here so there. We all got in and started down the long straight North Dakotan roads until we ended up at Uncle Kristen Traagstad’s old house. We had to walk up to it in these knee high wild flowers and stuff, but because there’s been so much rain there lately it was green and nice, not straw-y and harsh. The house was leaning and was all torn up inside from not being lived in for so long, but it was really cool to see and so beautiful. Lots of pictures, then off to the next destination…um…the gravesite of Uncle Krist I think, walked around there for a while and then off to Grandma Kari’s homestead. There was an old barn or storage shed still standing, but empty, and the house had been demo-d but the foundation was still there and there was all kinds of old appliances in there and other junk just lying in it like a grave. Then I stepped on a board with a whole bunch of nails and one tore the skin a little on my foot but didn’t go in, but my shoe was stuck and I couldn’t get it off, then everyone (ok, not everyone but Clint and Larry) were concerned and like “Let me see, you might need a tetanus shot” but I didn’t. Then we left and went back to the clubhouse for lunch where we had sandwiches and other stuff, but most important were the leftover rice crispy (krispy?) treats. More photos and stuff then we all gathered for the scavenger hunt around Wild Rose. My team included: Jorge (who has an incestuous relationship with his cousin Elessa or something, and who I think was jealous that I was on a team with her lover), Margie (John’s wife I think, the only other person besides Grandma who is still alive), Aubrie, Uncle Larry, Rosemary, and Nicole (lives in CO, has been doing Jazzercise for 10 years, husband is a chef but I don’t remember which sibling she belongs to). The scavenger hunt was fun and Kassie and I ran to get the first clue and she was like, “I’ll stop running if you’ll stop” so we did and just laughed cause it was sooo hot out and we were exhausted. Then our team took off toward the cemetery with Margie on the golf cart and Aubrie who hitched a ride on the back. Then it was to Elmer’s house then in town and on the tennis court and the school and church and eventually we were done and headed back but we came in 2nd cause Kassie and Dad’s team won cause Kassie ran the ENTIRE time. Her face was purple when we got back, no joke, it was crazy. So we cooled off and hung out and Kassie, Aubs and I went back to the motorhome to change and by the time we got back everyone was playing golf and hanging out in the back. I met some other people like Tracy (a guy), Jimmy, some others I’m forgetting but it was nice just to talk and listen to other people, then Kassie fell asleep on my lap. Dinner got underway and I offered to be gopher which meant I run the food inside after it is done on the grill, but Jimmy knocked a steak onto the front of my new white tank top when someone tried to take a picture of me, but then he picked it up off of the ground and ate it (later he said it had been delicious) and from then on Aubrie called me Skids, as in Skidmark, cause that’s what it looked like right down the front of my new favorite shirt. I got most of it out in the bathroom but it still didn’t come all the way out. Ate dinner and it was good, then we had cake that Nicole had made and transported all the way from CO and then the slide show that Jimmy had put together was started. Uncles Jerome, Larry and Ron were all hot, that’s right, they were HOT! Dad was sooo cute when he was little. After that we headed back to do fireworks but it was raining and lightning-ing in the distance so we bagged it and headed on into the tent to watch the OC and go to bed. We didn’t even get 10 min into it before the storm picked up outside and knocked part of the tent over, then it really started to blow and I had to hold the tent up before it all came crashing down, it was so loud and rain was blowing into the tent from God knows where and the thunder around us was so loud, Kassie had Aubrie and Casey under the covers, at one point it was blowing so hard that I couldn’t even hold it up by myself and just at that moment Dad came to the door of the tent and was like “GET OUT, GET IN THE MOTORHOME!” so we all freaked and just ran, not grabbing anything. Dad got my OC box set but that was it. Kassie’s power cord was still out there, plus her boots, Aubrie’s one shoe that I had put my water glass in, Kassie’s purse with all of her stuff, and all of the sleeping bags and pillows. Let’s just say that the next morning there was quite a mess to attend to. Clint said that Kassie’s boots had 6 inches of water in them and everything was drenched. Then one of the dogs peed on the mattress and we all laughed while Dad got pissed and tried to kick the dog. We all ended up that night just crashing all cuddled up together with make-shift beds since there were 5 of us with 1.5 beds. We were all shook up, let me tell you.

Friday 7/15, Dad called my phone in the morning to get everyone up cause we needed to head out so I took a shower and got everyone up, except Lish who had left in the middle of the night to the motorhome so Aubs and I took our stuff to the motorhome then went to get breakfast and sat with Larry and Rosemary. After that we all headed out with Casey and Dylan in tow. We watched the OC until we stopped for lunch. Mom, Kassie, Aubs, Casey and I went to the store first to get some things for Kassie and other stuff and Aubs and I ran around laughing, pointing and naming, and ringing the bell for cheese, so then we went to KFC for lunch for the rest and Kassie was protesting but didn’t have a sign. Then we saw Clint and Jodi, but pretty soon Mom told us to get inside cause the workers were weirding her out and said they were calling the police. Dick and Roxy came and we told them about it cause Mom heard them say “call the cops” so she thought there was some disgruntle customer in the drive through, but later at the motorhome when everyone came back to eat, Roxy said that after we left she heard them saying that earlier that morning that location had been targeted and vandalized or something and thought when Kassie was protesting and that it had been us and we had come back. So Kassie made a salad and I a sandwich for lunch and everyone ate in the motorhome and had a good time then got back on the road. We finally got to Wildrose and drove through in the motorhome and the streets were empty, ran into Clint and Jodi and went back to Karen and Dennis’ house where Derek and Staci were with Jerome and Ilene as well. Pulled up and started saying hello to everyone. Talked with family and did introductions, took pictures by the horses and talked with Dennis about what it means to break in a horse, the next one to get it was going to be Butter. Finally ate some dinner though I wasn’t really hungry, but it was good with down home cooking, went and sat outside with Aubs at a picnic table then on a little buggy seat that bounced up and down, Casey didn’t want to eat all of her burger but Jodi was going to make her so I took a big bite. Dessert was the best, different kinds of rice crispy treats and some other amalgam of goodies with m&ms peanut butter, some sort of crust and chocolate, mmmm, it was all so good. Played with little cousin Aidan who is very smart and was digging in the ice tub with a spoon. Helped Dad set up the tent and Dennis brought us out ice cream and a large hammer, though later he brought a smaller one for Dad to use. Played a game of Boggle in the tent with Mom and I got the word “tofu” oh yeah, the only one too. Sat around the fire for a while and someone set up the volley ball net so there was a game of that going on too. Finally it got late so everyone went to bed, Alishia was starting to be pouty and whiney and when we went out to the tent she threw a fit and went inside to sleep in there. Kassie and I got our own beds (it’s good that Lish left cause she took the biggest mattress) and I slept really well.