Home Again. Home Again. Jiggety Jig (Part One)

We can all probably agree that going home to visit family isn't always an adventure of the nursery rhyme persuasion.  Kyle and I recently returned from a 9 day journey to the heartland - as some people so lovingly call it - to see my family and friends.  I haven't lived in Oklahoma for about 8 years now and haven't really lived in my hometown for about 12 years, so you might imagine that going home sometimes feels like a really weird trip into the past.  What helps with that sensation is that so many things have changed.  Neither parent -of the original two- now lives in what I would consider my child hood home, siblings are sprouting their own families and other relatives are getting older and sharing (over sharing) stories about the past, things I am apparently lucky enough to now hear having grown older, but, that is a different post and a different therapy session. The city is growing and expanding and changing so much, I can hardly recognize it and the same could be said for the people. 

Talking to people once a year or once in a blue moon does not really tell you much about their lives, and because of that it can sometimes BLOW my mind how different things are back home (I so wanted to write "down home" which geographically is correct but it felt like a country song....which to be truthful is also geographically correct) in terms of the family as a whole.  It is interesting to go visit a place that serves Sweet Tea and listens to George Strait after living for a while in a place that just...doesn't.  Unless of course you consider Nestea in a can Sweet Tea - which you don't. Period.

On this recent trip home my Sister in Law/ Cruise Director and I collaborated to come up with some different activities to do while we were home this time, things that would boost bonding time, provide some fun and keep us from doing the normal just "hanging out" in the same house as our family type activities.  Were we successful you ask? As if failure was even a possibility....

These photos tell a story: A fun, exhausting, and amazing story of a trip home so LEGEN...wait for it...DARY that only the photos can truly paint it in the right light.  Or the dark circles under my eyes from sleep depravation and what we have dubbed a "Funover" a Fun Hangover.
 

Whitten Family Fun Night at Dave & Busters!

 

Inside the Giant Stuffed Animal Claw Machine! Yes! This happened! LOL

 

 Dinner with the whole Whitten family!

 

 Back in the Machine!

 

  Basketball competition!

 

I won't pretend that this trip was any different in its bonus features of untraditional family drama, tears, frustration and the muttered under your breath insult.  But, it was pretty amazing despite those things. Some "people" dubbed this trip the ALL HALL FALL FESTIVAL or some nonsense like that and those "people" could not have been more RIGHT!

Don't worry folks, this was only part one - stay tuned to see what other fun our trip home stirred up.