Wedding Weekend

Chris, Noah and I recently returned from a five-day trip up to Branson, Missouri and northwest Arkansas. We drove up on Thursday with my dad's sister Nancy and spent the night at the Bradford Inn in Branson--Uncle Paul and Aunt Janet's treat! That evening we went to a kung fu show that was probably my favorite of all the shows I've seen there. Noah liked it once he got used to the dark theater and the loud music, gongs, etc. Friday we shopped a little, then had lunch with family and rested before my cousin Ally's wedding that evening. The ceremony was outside, a beautiful setting, and Noah danced the night away afterwards at the reception. Saturday morning we drove down to my grandparents' farm in northwest Arkansas, near Berryville, with my parents and Aunt Nancy (she came to watch the TCU/Colorado State game). The farm is about 120 acres that used to be a Christmas tree farm when I was growing up, but now my grandparents are retired and Grandgeorge turned the big pasture into a 5-hole golf course. I have very fond memories of visiting the farm every year as a child, where Diana and I were able to roam freely, climbing the bluff, hiking through the woods, and even descending into a large underground cave on the property. It is really incredible to take Noah there and let him experience some of what I loved so much as a little girl. We stayed Saturday night at the "bunkhouse," which is a little house where my grandparents lived before they built the "big house" up on the bluff. The bunkhouse has three bedrooms and a bathroom, so we spread out in there with my parents. Mom and Dad left Sunday morning, and Chris and I went into Berryville for church and then to Eureka Springs, one of my favorite little towns, to eat brunch with my Uncle Dan (Tuna), Uncle Butch and Aunt Lynn at a cafe called Local Flavor. Lynn and Butch then took us back for a tour of their place, a beautiful completely restored stone cabin on the edge of a cliff. They also have a little cabin next door for guests. So cool! We went back to Grandma's that afternoon and hiked, relaxed, etc. Monday morning we headed back to Arlington and a 10-degree hike in temperatures. :(

To see pictures from the trip, click on the link:

Missouri/Arkansas Trip 2010