Jeff and La wanted to visit us this fall and, if they were coming, Kathy’s and Kari’s families wanted to be included. It took some doing, but we found a weekend that Jeff and La, Kathy and Annette, and Kari’s family could be with us. I think it’s a good thing that (1) we all have such full lives that scheduling more than two of us at a time can become complicated; and (2) that we enjoy getting together so much, we all think it’s worth the trouble.

Jeff and La flew in on Friday evening and needed some dinner when they arrived, so we went to a local family favorite–Steak ‘n’ Shake. The restaurant is not what it used to be. SnS used to advertise that it was a restaurant, where “you rest, and we work,” greeting and seating you, taking your order at the table, serving your food on real dishes (not paper and plastic), and bussing your table after you left. Those other places, according to SnS, were workaurants, where you did all that work. Well, SnS has joined those other workaurants and you now order at their kiosks, seat yourself, pick up your food when someone shouts your name, find your own condiments, dispense your own drinks, and then bus your table (paper wrappers and cups–no plates–and plastic utensils) before you leave. Still, SnS was quick and convenient, and the food was fine.

Kathy and Annette arrived for lunch on Saturday, and Sky and his girlfriend, July (pronounced like “Julie”), came from Chicago to be with all of us. The weather was so nice, we spent the afternoon outside on the patio. Now that Jeff and La bought ebikes and Kathy and Annette have our old ebikes, they all wanted to try our new ebikes. The verdict: we all like ebikes. We took time for some family photos and, when the girls and their families left to go home, Ted grilled hamburgers and I served German potato salad for dinner, followed by ice cream sundaes. Yum!

Monday was a casual, quiet day. Jeff, La, Ted, and I had a pizza lunch at Dewey’s, played some games and had some down time in the afternoon, then met Kari’s family at Fratelli’s (another family favorite) for an Italian dinner.

Tuesday morning, we took Jeff and La to the airport for their flight home. After that, Ted and I went home and enjoyed all of our warm, family memories from the weekend. As parents/grandparents, we love knowing that our children/grandchildren want to spend time with each other and with us. Here’s our happy, loving, weekend family group.