Road Trip USA part 2 - A Hat Party

Today was an easy day driving; I only had about 3 hours in the car driving from Spring Valley to Albany. I was so excited about this HAT themed family party. I was also very excited to see my family up here because I don’t get to see them very often (although Danielle, Teal, and Naomi weren’t there it was still fun). 

2010 Party- Danielle, Naomi and Teal. It was a Disney Theme that year!!! MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!

I came prepared. During the fourth of July festivities I walked passed this AMAZING hat in my Grandma’s house, so of course I tried it on and walked around with it. Everyone loved it and I asked my Grandma if I could have it. She said yes of course, because (as I learned this weekend) Grandmas are made for the word YES!!! 

Raise your hand for coordinating outfits based on accessories....  lol

All of the kids had fun hats and a handful of the adults had various types of hats. My Great Grandma had on a fourth of July hat that had fake yellow braided pig tails. She kept taking it off so I don’t have a photo of it. I also forgot my camera inside and my phone died, so I only have photos of ME in the hats my Great Aunt and Uncle and Cousin brought AFTER everyone else left some of which kid Naomi took before her mom took her home (because I am lame and forgot I needed photos for the blog!). 

kid Naomi. She took this by herself and asked me to hold the fake dread lock like a mustache for her.

I wonder where she got that preposterous idea??!?! (kid Naomi took this photo too)

I also decided that my generation is LAME because we DON’T wear HATS or write LETTERS, and I love those two things so I’mma bring it back like spandex pants and fanny packs that people seem to find appealing these days (hats are so much more attractive than those nasty pants and I think people will actually be much happier this way!). 

I mean I just freaking love this hat!

I also got to meet my cousin Jordan and his wife Siobhan and their new addition to the family - Lucas! So that was super awesome. My cousin Michael was here with his fiancé Jen which was great and I wish I could have come in yesterday and went to see some live music with them! He plays the drums and is the cousin I am closest to on this side of my ridiculously large family (other than the girls- who I truly missed this year!!!!). The only other cousins here that I knew were Rory and Adrian and they had to work so they had to leave early. :/ But I did get to know my Great Great Uncles Alfas, Norman, Herve, and Roger and their families, so that was great.

kid Naomi: new photographer prodigy!

Seriously, photographer prodigy... I just gave her my camera and she ran around taking photos.

Artistic concrete... I feel like I am at an art exhibit!!! Go kid Naomi

And then she took one of herself of course! CHEESE!

I also got to hear amazing stories about my Great Grandma’s life and since she is my all time favorite and the only reason I even had the privilege to know this side of my “secret” family, I was extremely happy to get to chat with her. Tomorrow we are going to put puzzles together and maybe knit - I would make up an excuse for how excited I am, but if you have all watched my rap video Blue and Green Pills (rap at 3:52), then you know that I am a “ripe 85.” 

My Great Grandma RoseMarie Gertrude Beaudet. I love you!!!

To make it even better the Red Sox and Yankees played today - so my family was being silly as they always are this time of year - back talking each other over which team was better and sulking over losing. They always try to recruit me, and I tell them that I have a losing team and am okay with that. Go Royals… what? I think if I were to be recruited my Great Grandma in her adorable full out Yankees uniform and baseball cap would win me over! [That’s right boys, be disgusted and devastated, that’s how most women make decisions about sports teams! :P hahaha] My Great Uncle Bill thought it even more amusing that Guillaume is a Tigers fan, not understanding why a Frenchman would pick Detroit to be faithful to, and then realizing that a friend, David, obviously brain washed him into routing for them. HAHA. Oh Uncle Bill. I love it when they all argue baseball; especially because they don’t actually get awkwardly mad like boys do when they talk about politics. 

Another past photo - but Uncle Bill still pulls the same stunts trying to convert me....

And on this note, here’s the new slogan I created today- Politics: Gossip for Men. 

Typed in Gossip for Men into Google Images. There were 10 pages of this exact photo.......

Today was definitely one to count on the ALL AMERICAN scale; hamburgers on the grill, baseball, swimming, family, and a whole lot of fun. 

Hrm... Did I forget anything? OH YEAH...

Stay tuned for the next adventures here on Raelynne Travels around the USA. 

What's next? you ask. THIS FACE for your answer.

Do I even have to tell you that kid Naomi took this amazing photo here at the end? and that I obviously took the horrible one before that of me in the Bob Marley looking hat? Ugh so Jealous of her skillzzzzz.