Mmm...Blue Bell

My 27th birthday, August 8 was Jamie's last full day in Houston before heading home to New Canaan (also her 15th anniversary-congrats!).  It was Dan's parents' last full day before heading home to Bountiful.
So we decided to head up to Brenham, TX and enjoy some time at the Blue Bell Factory.  You show up, watch a little video about the history of Blue Bell Ice Cream, and then you get a free scoop.  Oh so good.
Going to this factory has been a staple field trip for pretty much my whole life.  Mom would take us every few years growing up.  We went at least twice with classes in elementary school.  I took Dan there for his birthday a few years back.  Good times, good times.

Hats are complimentary...and quite stylish (they've given these out as long as I've been going there too). L to R--Adam (4), Zach (6), Madelyn (7), Brooke (2), Julianne (11), Megan (3), Catherine (9), Hailey (8)

We've been so much that my sister Jamie kept spouting the facts they share on the tour before the tour guide told us. Top 5 flavors?  We were all over that...mostly.  (homemade vanilla, dutch chocolate, the great divide, cookies and cream, pralines and cream?--I think was the list that day :) )
The factory was recently remodeled and boasts a new bigger ice cream parlor at the end.  I sampled a new flavor there--Krazy Kookie dough (sugar cookie dough flavored ice cream with balls of sugar cookie dough in it--AH-mazing!).

Grandma, Papa, and our fam (we probably won't have a picture with all of our kids looking good for the next 10 years--case in point...)

We had a great time.  And it was good that we were all full of yummy, happy ice cream so that I didn't completely fall apart when we said goodbye to Jamie.  That day marked the end of our golden summer.

It wasn't the summer we had hoped for, but it was a great summer just the same.
It started with the joy and pain of Mom's last few weeks.  Then came her passing and funeral.  And after that, there were 5 more weeks with Jamie and her crew here.  My little Candy was born.  We fixed who knows how many crazy meals for 12 grandkids and 8 plus adults all together in my parents' house.  It was full of changes and adjusting to life after Mom.  There were tears shed and love shared and memories made.  I wonder sometimes if the grandkids will look back on this summer as one of the most fun of their lives--having 9 of the 12 cousins within 30 seconds across the street and my 3 just 30 minutes away was pretty unique.  They played and fought and swam and were loud and crazy and helped us all to remember that there's still a lot of living to do and a lot of joy to be had.  And of course, a lot of Blue Bell to enjoy--and don't worry Mom, we did.