62nd Annual Fortenberry Family Reunion

Over the weekend, we went to the 

Fortenberry Reunion

 without Mimi and Pa for the first time.

(For those of you that don't know,

Mimi was a Fortenberry before she

got married.  Her parents were Tom

and Gladys Fortenberry.)

Every year at the reunion,

there is a homemade ice cream contest.

We never really took ice cream

before because we travel from so far away

and it would be quite difficult.  

In honor of our sweet Mimi,

we decided to make ice cream this year - 

not just any ice cream -

Mimi's Banana Nut Ice Cream.

We took what ingredients we could

and purchased the rest when we got to Plainview

(The town we spent the night in).  My mom

made the ice cream in her hotel room

before we drove the 30 minutes to

Floydada for the Reunion.

Mimi's Banana Nut Ice Cream won 

the contest!  It was a hit!

Pictured Below: As children, we used to run through

this door (slamming it behind us) and out the door

that led up to the stage... this is where we played.

Slamming doors and running across the stage.

This year, there was a sign that said

"Do Not Enter"

I had to take this picture for my

cousin Lauren.  

The Egg Toss (My mom is on the far right, catching the egg)

We picked out our cow chips for the chip toss!

Don't Be Alarmed: No cow chip was eaten in the making of this picture

My Mom and Aunt Danita

Throwing my cow chip

Sisters: Paula, Pam and Danita

On Saturday, there is always a service

at the reunion.  We start out singing hymns.

Someone usually preaches.  And Memorials for the 

year are read.  Then the minutes from last years

reunion are read.  Then we close with an auction.

Dennis leading the hymns

Vance read the memorials.
Mimi and Pa were on the list.

Fortenberry Family Auction

Lunchtime! 

Standing by our branch flag

Tom and Gladys Fortenberry's granddaughters 

J.C. and Ann Fortenberry's first cousins

J.C. and Ann Fortenberry's second cousins

J.C. and Ann Fortenberry's second and third cousins

Cedar Hill Texas - the home place.
This is where Tom and Gladys Fortenberry lived.

Saturday evening, we decided to drive

to the Palo Duro Canyon, near Canyon Texas.

If you've never seen it, it's quite something.

West Texas is so flat - and then all of a sudden...

Down in the Palo Duro Canyon, they put on

a great musical - TEXAS!

Find out more about it on this website:

http://www.texas-show.com/

With my mom and aunts

The Chow Cart - BBQ Dinner before the show

Eating our BBQ

Eating our BBQ

Kellogg Family Reunion and Other Happenings in Minnesota!

I had a great time on my first 

trip to Minnesota! I got to

 know my husband's family quite

 a bit better and I got to meet 

many other family members.

When I landed in Minneapolis, the

first stop was The Mall of America.

Most of you know that visiting The Mall

 of America has been on my bucket list

since I first heard this gigantic mall

existed.  The mall did not disappoint.

We were able to meet the Larson family

for lunch at the Twin City Grill inside the mall.

From the left: Kelly and Irving Larson, Ronda, Sonja,
 Carrie, Taylor, Carrie's son Joshua, and Julie

I got macaroni and cheese for lunch. Yum.

Inside the amusement park section of The Mall of America -
that giant transformer behind me is made entirely of legos!

We ate dinner at the Mall of America

as well - a restaurant called Cantina #1.

From the left: Taylor, Ronda, Grandma Peg, Grandpa Mel, Sonja,
Byron, Eliya, Ben, Phyllis, and Ken

After an entire day at The Mall of America...

We got to Grandma and Grandpa's house

and were locked out for a bit.

Fortunately it was a pretty nice night out

and I got to sleep in the next morning.

Sunday was the Kellogg Family Reunion

at the Podvin Park Pavilion in White Bear

Lake Minnesota.  

With Grandpa Mel

With my mother-in-law, Ronda

With my cousin, Eliya

After a lunch that included fried chicken,

fruits, salads, and homemade bread,

we all got into a circle and went around

talking about family history.

It was really neat to learn

more about my husband's family.

We started off the day Monday with a 

wonderful lunch at this beautiful

lakeside restaurant.  It sits on White

Bear Lake - and the weather could not

have been better.  It was the perfect day

to sit outside and eat lunch.

Ben and Grandpa Mel

Ronda and Grandma Peg

Eliya and Sonja

Eliya couldn't seem to get full - after she ate her
lunch, she helped me finish mine.

We drove to Stillwater Minnesota,

which happens to be on the border

of Minnesota and Wisconsin, so

we drove across the bridge.

Now I can add Wisconsin to the

list of states I've visited. 

We stopped at a famous local ice cream shop...

I got a child size cup of chocolate chip

ice cream - I don't know about you, but

that's the biggest child size cup of

ice cream I've ever seen.  I was unable

to finish it, even though it was quite good.

The bridge between Minnesota and Wisconsin -
It raised for boats to pass by.

Minnesota is a beautiful place!  It was

so green and the weather was perfect.

I really enjoyed myself.  I'm so glad

I was able to attend the reunion and spend

more time with new family!