Alphabe-Thursday - H is for Homecoming

Good morning Mrs. Matlock! I'm back from my trip and ready to turn in my essay on the letter H. For me, H stands for Homecoming. (Thanks Anna at Anna's Adornments for the idea!)

Last week, I told you that G stood for Going Away. We made a whirlwind trip this past weekend to Columbus Mississippi for my cousin's wedding. It truly was coming home for me. I had not seen some of these family members in over 30 years. I'll be honest, I was afraid that I wouldn't recognize anyone. Didn't happen. Most of my cousins look exactly as I remember them, just older. Of course, I haven't aged a bit lol.

We made a stop at my grandparent's farm. The old home place has long since been torn down, but the farm is still going strong, thanks to my cousin Chuck. He has changed production from dairy to beef, but most of the old buildings remain. They have quite a little family compound there. My Aunt still lives on the property, and 4 cousins have homes on our family land. Join me on a little tour . . .

Boys will be boys - notice the holes in the sign. I doubt they are from hail ...

Bricks from the old home place. Chuck left these at the site of the old homestead, the rest were used to face his new home. I think that's a wonderful idea!

Are you talking to me???

Ever wonder what to do with old campaign signs? Patch the old milking barn! I was so happy that Chuck didn't tear this down when he changed from dairy to beef production. It was my second favorite place on the farm - the first being my grandmother's kitchen lol!

DH asked why the cows were so noisy. The vet was there. And they weren't getting vaccinated. He turned a bit green when I explained ...

Soon it was time to return to our room and clean up for the wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony, and the church was packed. There were only about 3 empty pews. When I looked around, I realized that I was related to about 85% of the people there! After the ceremony, there was a small reception in the fellowship hall.

A group of the "cousins". I have 21 first cousins on my daddy's side. While not all could attend, a good number did. But trying to round everyone up for a group photo was like herding cats! A little funny - the very tall gentleman on the left is my cousin Joe - his nickname when we were growing up was "Little Joe" If we'd only known...

There was no way this group was going to stay serious for long. The twins directly behind me were my best friends - we are 3 months apart in age. And boy did we ever get into some pickles! Pam was telling tales on Tammy and I and everyone just cracked up.

A very small group of the second cousins. I don't even know how many of them there are. I don't think I can count that high. We took over a BBQ joint Saturday night, and when someone told the waitress that we were all cousins, she couldn't believe it.

Hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane. I've got more pictures of Columbus, but I'll save them for another post. You must be bleary eyed by now!
Make sure to stop by and say hey to Jenny and see what everyone else has come up with for the letter H. (Note to Muse: I did not milk a cow, and I sure as heck didn't offer to help the vet lol!)