Not only was the reunion wonderful, but spending time with my family afterwards was an added bonus.

As I sat and visited with my mom and dad, I couldn't help but feel so grateful and blessed. Their health is pretty good, their minds are sharp (at 84 and 88) and they have each other for companionship.

Dad still drives (just had his license renewed for 6 more years!) and mom still shops....so, they make a good combination!

One of my favorite things to do with them is go back in time and talk about how life was when all three of my sisters and I lived at home.

Apparently (so they say!), I was the "rebel" of the family. I always seemed to be getting in trouble and spent a great deal of my early years "grounded". The more that I complained about my punishment, the longer the "grounding period" became. It was a miracle that I ever got out of the house! I was a sociable creature (still am!) and going out with my friends was a high priority in my life. It's nice to be able to laugh about it all now, so many years later.

After dinner at my sister's house during this visit, the television was turned on so that we could watch one of my mom's favorite shows: "Deal or No Deal?".

At one exciting point in the game, mom got up, went over to the tv, and looked like she was trying to tell Howie something.......so, I grabbed my camera and took this wonderful picture!

You go girl! : )