You can take the girl out of Montana...

...but you can't take Montana out of the girl!!  I will ALWAYS consider myself a Montana girl!

Yay for my cute family!!  :)  I love them!!

Have you ever noticed that, as you get older, you appreciate your family more?  And you love them more?  And the things that used to drive you nuts tend to just sort of melt away with time and distance?  That's what I've discovered.

My cousin Tyler got married August 2nd to a beautiful young woman named Kally, and we celebrated Montana-style as only our family knows how!

Let me paint a picture for you:

Imagine spending three or four days in a "normal"-sized house (read: not tiny, not huge), in sweltery August, with no air conditioning, and about 30 people at any given time, and 3 dogs.  Yep.  Only in Montana, right?  Okay, so other people might have family gatherings like this, too, but at any given time in your family, can you wander in the living room to find your first cousin and brother-in-law playing guitars, your first-cousin-once-removed (or whatever) playing the banjo, your uncle playing makeshift percussion (read: playing the fan with a shoehorn...no joke), and several people singing any number of different songs in perfect 2, 3, 4, or 5 part harmony?  And does it sound amazing?  Didn't think so.  And I wonder where my sister and I got our love of and talent for music!  

My sister is so stinkin' cute!!  

Even when she's a goofus on the roofus, she could still be a model!

Seriously, some of my favorite times in my life have been spent with this crazy bunch of fun-loving Montanans crammed into my grandparents house, because if ANYONE, and I mean anyone, is in town, then it's automatically a party and people come out of the woodwork to join in.  Never a dull moment at the Hasenkrug house when there's company in town!  

Here are some amazing things about my grandparents house:

*If you ever want a sandwich or toast, you will ONLY find delicious homemade bread in their house.  (Erik LOVED this.)

*There are only two things you should ever eat for breakfast there: Grandma's homemade cinnamon rolls (3 words: TO DIE FOR), or toast with Grandma's homemade raspberry jam--there's nothing better.

*They still have orange shag carpet in the living room.  No joke.

*You're either sitting or dancing when you're there.  If you're sitting, you're lucky because you found an open spot where someone else isn't already sitting.  If you're not standing, you're mastering the elaborate dance that takes place as everyone tries to thread their way through each other and not get in each other's way.  It's awesome.

*If you see a painting on the wall, there's a good chance someone in my family painted it.  If you see a clock, more than likely Grandpa made it.  And if you see something unique that you've never seen before, ask.  Chances are there's a story that someone would be thrilled to tell you.

I'm sure there are many more, but you get the gist.  It's a great place.

We don't think we look alike.  What do you think?

Over the last couple years, a group of us have come to be known as "the cousins."  I'm not too sure when this started, but there are 10 of us...well, I suppose 12, with spouses.  In my mom's family there were 5 kids, and each of them had 2 kids, so...you get the point.  The youngest, Michaela, is just starting her first year of college at Washington State University, and the oldest, Heather, is 34...I think.  But the cool thing is, we're all adults now.  And even though we don't see each other much, we are all really good friends.  We get along great, it's fun to hang out with each other, and we actually all really like each other.  I think "the cousins" even all secretly really look forward to these big family events.  Maybe it's because even though our immediate families are all small, we love having a big family that's growing all the time.  :)  

The Cousins (including the newbies!)

From Left to Right:  

Stephanie, Sterling, Amy, Michaela, Kally, Tyler, Chad, Jen, Heather, Brian.  

(Jayme and Aaron, we missed you!!)

Highlights of the trip:  lots of family time, Montana State Fair with the cousins, Ty and Kally's wedding (of course!), hanging out with my sister and brother-in-law, some quality grandpa time (see earlier post), driving through beautiful Montana, going to a couple baseball games (more on that later), and so much more.  It was the first time in FOREVER that my immediate family has all been together on vacation--at least 10 years or more!  It was fun to be at Grandma and Grandpa's again with everyone there.  The only cousins missing were Jayme (in Seattle) and Aaron (in Brazil).  Even Brian made it home from his Marine post in Belgium!

The reason for all the festivities!!  I haven't seen Tyler in FOREVER (and he is SUCH a great kid!), and I was sooooo glad to meet his new wifey and my new cousin Kally.  

Aren't they adorable?

Anyway, Ty's wedding was a blast, and I'm glad I finally got to meet Kally for the first time.  She's a cutie.  I can't wait to hang out with her!  It was fun to have Erik with me (and he did great, considering that stepping into my family has been described as trying to jump onto a merry-go-round that's spinning full force and you can never quite run fast enough to get on).  I think my only other friend who's really been subjected to the full force of my family is Janna, and she was lucky enough to get them a few at a time.  Sterling did a good job, too, considering that this was his first major occasion with the Montana crew--and he even had to go for Round 2 with my dad's side of the family (something Erik and I opted out on since I had to get back to work).

What a goofball!!  :) 

 (He's cute, though!  And I was totally trying not to laugh during this photo!)

It was a fantastic trip and I was sad to leave!  I love Montana!!  And I can't wait until I can go back!!