Berry Pickin'

Well, I had this burning desire to go berry picking lately. So, I looked on the internet and found a great website that lists all the farms in Michigan where you can pick yourself. I found this one farm that had raspberries and blueberries, so on Saturday we took a trip and headed west in search of the berry farm. It was a cute farm on a back country road owned by some really nice people. They had rows and rows of raspberries and blueberries. We picked 8 quarts of raspberries and 8 lbs. of blueberries. The prices were pretty good too. It was $2.95 for a quart of raspberries and $1/lb for the blueberries. The only downer of the whole day was that it was HOT!!!!! Our friend Kasey came with us and she watched Ellie in the shade while Greg and I braved the picking. Ellie just loved the berries and ate so many blueberries I thought she was going to turn blue. Something else did turn blue - I think you all know what I mean. I am excited for other vegetables and fruit to come into season so that I can go to more farms, pick my own, and then come home and can. I've had great success with tomatoes, cherries, and applesauce. It does take a lot of time, but it is worth it when you taste the fruits of your labors - no pun intended :)!

Family Reunion

We just got back from a great week in Colorado at the Tilton Family Reunion. We had a really good time and packed a lot in for the time we were there. Due to our planning of the "Amazing Race - Tilton Family Edition" we felt like it was more of a working vacation. It was all worth it since the race came off very smoothly and everyone seemed to have a good time. Ellie was a trooper and loved being around all of her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. It was nice for us to have 20+ willing babysitters. I think she is going through withdrawal but is ever so eager to continue her fun new skill of going up and down the stairs. She is becoming very good at it.
Well, other than the "Amazing Race - Tilton Family Edition", we went hot air ballooning and whitewater rafting. Both were great fun. The ballooning was a bit unnerving, but we are glad we did it. I included some of the pictures so you can all enjoy through us.
We hope you all had just as much fun over your Independence Day festivities.
We love and miss you all!





Wheeling the Balloon out!
















Filling the Balloon with Air! This is about as close as Ellie got. She did not like the flame used to help the balloon rise and we kept her safe on the ground.







Up we Go!!



Way up High!!









The fun must come to an end!


















So that's it for this blog entry. My next one will be a play by play of the "Amazing Race - Tilton Family Edition" - for anyone who cares.
Smiles!!