This past weekend was Mother's Day Weekend so Paul and I decided that if by chance had the weekend off as my schedule doesn't always allow me to have weekends off, we would head to Muncie to visit Mama Butler and the rest of the clan.
I found out just a few days in advance that I had the time off and we quickly made plans. Given that the cost of gas here in the city is over $4.00 a gallon, we did the math and decided to just take the bus. Which is always an adventure, particularly when you are on it for 3 hours!! We booked Mega bus which is a big step up from the Greyhound, much more comfortable. Not only that it sort of made us feel as though we were having our own "Amazing Race". We had to take the EL from out house to downtown at 6am to meet the bus at Union Station, armed with nothing but our backpacks and wallets we took off. Hoped on the bus and were southward bound! We got off in Indianapolis where Mama Butler would be waiting for us to drive us another hour to Muncie Indiana.
Upon our arrival to Muncie with Mama Butler we told her we had one thing we had to do. We surprised her and took her to pick out her own bird-feeder and hook for her yard. See Mama Butler doesn't have much luck with on the pet front so this was a great idea, should could sit in her kitchen have her morning coffee and watch the birds, low maintenance and no serious commitment. She was thrilled!
From there we went to Paul's brother's farm to have a family bbq, I always get nervous when we go there for dinner, wondering which of their "pets" is going to be served for dinner. I am very much a city girl, and with each passing day become closer and closer to being a full fledge veg particularly when I am at their place. My first visit to their farm a few years ago they had a piglet who Jacob who was then 2 or 3 named him Oinky, cutest little thing you ever saw. He would follow Jacob around, they also had Ruby and Rebel who were cows in another pen. Well that Christmas we were out there for dinner and this was my first real family dinner with them all. You guessed it Oinky was being served. Needless to say I stuck with the vegetables.
This time noone from their farm was being served, thank goodness..but I still stuck with the veggie burgers. It was a beautiful day out there! The birds were singing the kids were playing. Paul's sister Melissa just had another baby 3 weeks ago so we got to see our brand new niece Maran, she was pretty cute. All was well, until...everyone started asking us when we were going to have babies. Paul is the oldest of his family, he was also the last to get married and they all have two kids now, and apparently that is not enough?! I looked at Mama Butler and said well Maran has red hair, blue eyes, you don't need another one! She didn't see the humor. I find it funny how once you are married everyone thinks you should not only reproduce but expect it to happen during the honeymoon! Well we still have yet to have our honeymoon and are still a few years off from having and kidlettes, much to Mama Butler's shigrin. Ah family gotta love em..