Fun with Friends and Family

I just had the nicest weekend! My sister M. and her very nice boyfriend C. were in town and we spent the weekend at my parents' place in Eden (it's really called that), which is about 30 minutes away from me, yet it seems like an entirely different planet. They're in the country, complete with a pond and a swimming hole down the road. Basically we ate amazing food, cooked primarily by Mom's husband R. and boyfriend C. (although Mom and I made killer pizzas for lunch, I must say), and drank refreshing cocktails made primarily by my DF. He does a mean Bloody Mary--and I didn't even used to like Bloody Marys. Yum.

I think what made it so great was the completely relaxed atmosphere of the whole weekend. If you wanted to read, you read. If you wanted to play golf, you played golf. DF and I hit the watering hole (pictured above), which was made a lot more exciting due to heavy rains making the waterfalls so strong you could duck under them and sit watching this cascade directly in front of you. I don't think we turned on the stupid TV once. Instead we played games and just enjoyed each others' company. What could be better? Now all that needs to happen is for my sisters to finally move back home so we can do weekends like that more often!

I realize that the most fun I have with others is always when we entertain each other in some way. I'd rather have a game night with some music than do a movie or a loud bar any time. On that note, my friends and I are thinking we need to start having theme parties. We've collectively been to these themes: Gatsby, Ugly Shirt (prize for the "best"), Bring Your Own Wine (also prize for the best), and my sister M. and her boyfriend C. are thinking of doing a 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall party where they actually put 99 bottles of beer on the wall...and take one down and pass it around...until all are gone. Yikes. Any suggestions for others?
Above is the view from the top of our hike! Below is Mom's dog, Amos.