things that made my family reunion weekend awesome

+ Having relatively smooth travel. Since Russ's dad is a pilot, we get cheap stand-by tickets, which is great for our wallets, but not always so great for our sanity. It can get rough not knowing whether or not you're actually going to get on the flights you want, or even if you'll make it to the event at all! But we got to and from Seattle with relatively few mishaps :)

+ The gorgeous Orcas Island. Everything was so green and I loved being near a lake!

+ Family everywhere! I literally have the best in-laws ever. I love every time I get to be with them! It was also great to get to know some of Russ's extended family better. I've been in the family for two years now, and I've been to every reunion there's been in that time (three of them!), and I still didn't feel like I knew very many people very well, so this time I tried to get to know more people, which was fun :) 

+ No cell service! Sometimes it's nice to just unplug and actually be there.

+ Amazing food. Russ's family has some pretty good cooks! Favorite meals of the week included gourmet pizza and street tacos :)

+ Camping in cabins. I love camping, but maybe not so much sleeping on the ground, so it was great to be in a cabin and have little mattresses. Might let it count for my 23 before 23 bucket list, but I'm not entirely sure because I really do want to actually go camping.

+ Canoeing on the lake! Way fun, even if Mom & Dad Holmes are better than me, Russ, and Lacey combined . . .

+ 70ish degree weather. Not tanning weather (not that I can tan anyway . . . ) but my favorite kind of weather because it's warm enough but not too warm! :) 

+ Looking at the stars while laying on the dock. So gorgeous :)

+ Family variety show. So fun to see people's talents, especially when they did funny or interesting things like playing the saw, doing Hawaiian chants, singing lullabies (complete with hand actions) for 29-year-olds, and blindly preparing chicken.

+ This funny husband of mine, who somehow ends up being the only thing I ever get pictures of :)

in case you can't tell, he's throwing a stick off the mountain. 

the prettiest princess ;) 

+ Speaking of my funny husband . . . The cabins had only twin beds, so Russ and I slept separately. But sometimes, we would take naps or cuddle together on one bed. One day, we were just cuddling and chatting, and we were the only ones in the cabin. But as soon as his mom and sister tried to come in, Russ yelled, "Don't come in!" which made them think something else was going on, which was just really funny. We all laughed about it :)

+ A 5k run on a trail around the lake. Gorgeous, fun, and I did it! Haha I never run that far, but I did it that day! :) Though it wasn't an official 5k, I still might count it as my 5k for my 23 before 23 bucket list. 

+ 4th of July! So actually, we didn't really do much 4th of July stuff . . . Didn't even see fireworks! But it was still fun to dress up in some red, white, and blue! I finally tried out my violent lips which were pretty crazy, considering I never even wear lipstick, and these were sparkly and bright red. I wore them for less than an hour, because they drove me crazy and they made me feel self-conscious. 

+ After the reunion ended on Saturday morning, we went back into Seattle to be with Shayne's family for a little bit. We even got to attend Shayne's choir concert. It was a great concert and it was awesome to be able to support him!

+ And finally, after getting back home to Utah, being reunited with my cousin (who also happens to be one of my best friends) after eighteen months apart! She's been serving a mission in Palmyra, NY, and we've written each other letters throughout, but it was so great finally seeing her again! As soon as she saw me, she came running toward me, screaming, and grabbing me for a big hug :) Haha I love that girl, and I'm so happy that we've grown to be such good friends :) I'm also so happy that I didn't graduate when I thought I would, because that means I get one more semester on campus with her! So excited for lunch dates :)

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend :) How was your 4th of July weekend? :)