Family Time...

My dad's oldest brother and his wife...Jerry and Donna Nichols

My brother and his wife...Eric and Megan Nichols,
and my two adorable nieces and one handsome nephew!

After the funeral dinner, my dad's youngest brother and his wife (Ron and Cathy), opened up their home for a cookout.  Brief history: my dad's Grandpa and Grandma Nichols lived on a farm in Rose Hill, IL, and my grandfather was left 80 acres of it when his parents died.  Several years ago, my uncle Ron purchased 40 acres from my grandmother, and built a beautiful home there.  He has spent the last several years developing his part of the property and making it a wonderfully relaxing place out in the middle of nowhere.  Literally.  The other 40 acres has been rented to a farmer, and that income helped as a supplement for my grandmother.  Now that she is gone, the remaining land belongs to my dad and his brothers. 

The farm has always been a fun place for us to visit.  When I was young, it was mostly just overgrown foliage with a couple of old barns and a house that spoke of better days.  Ron has worked hard to make it a beautiful, peaceful retreat.

A cookout at the farm was a great way to end a day of grief and celebration.  The weather was perfect, and it was very comforting to be able to relax and share memories of the special lady we had laid to rest that day. Valerie and Adam had to get back to Cincinnati for VIP Day at the college, and Megan and her kids headed on to her parents in Peoria.  My parents and our family had another day scheduled off and were able to have a bit more family time.

Allison's 1st four-wheeler ride

Kaitlynn had so much fun fishing, playing with the dog,
and riding four-wheelers!  Of course, I think she would have
fun anywhere as long as Emily was there!

My great-aunt Deena and her husband, Rick, came over.  We
always love to be with them. Rick is my dad's uncle, but they
are close enough in age to be brothers.

Ryan was pretty happy with his catch!

Melissa strikes a pose.  :-)
She is my only girl cousin on the Nichols' side of things. 
Love her bunches!

Best part of fishin'....messing with the line...constantly!

Aunt Donna helping A.J. and Kaitlynn know where the
fish are biting.  On the right is Stephanie Lynn Nichols, who
married my cousin Mike.  Granny always like to laugh about
having two Stephanie Lynn Nichols' in the family.  :-)

This cracked me up.  My uncle and his wife put this portrait in a
window frame and hung it directly across from the toilet in one of
the bathrooms. 

Cute pic of Alli and Stevie

Another...Aunt Donna will love this!

Mom and Aunt Deena enjoying the evening.

Alli rides again!

I wanted to get a panoramic pic from the wrap around deck.
I couldn't get things lined up right, but the view is just
amazing!  To the left of this pic and down a hill is a creek
that runs all the way across the property.  So serene!



Before leaving on Friday, we made a stop at the covered bridge.
After a week of gorgeous weather, we were expriencing drizzle
a chill in the air. 

After a long, emotional two weeks, we headed home.

Five minutes after leaving Greenup, the kids were asking if we could go back "next week."  They had such a good time.  We plan to do it again soon...probably pulling the RV behind us.  :-)