Cousin Bailey and Eli, hanging out...
Anita showing Eli the horses. He LOVED them!
Cousin Pax & Cousin Blythe feeding the horses.
The fellas, hanging out.
My Grandpa's brothers, Robert and George.
My Grandpa.
The ladies, hanging out.
Eli with Pax & Blythe.
Eli & Blythe.
Eli & Pax playing football.
Nice catch, Eli!
Silly boys!
Tug of war?
Go Pax!
Time to get some work done on the tractor.
Snack time with cousin, Shirley.
Petting the horse with Papa.
...and Dada, too!
Miss Grace going for a ride!
Miss Grace with Anita.
Mom, Auntie Gloria & Cousin Kim.
Headless Mama and Eli riding with Anita's help!
The Sundsmos with Bambie.
Horses! Horses! Horses!
Uncle Gary and Bruce out for a ride.
Eli is ready to saddle up!
Cousin Nate.
Uncle Gary.
Cousine Bruce.
Eli & Papa.
Uncle Gary & Eli.
It's fun to ride Dada, too!
Bruce.
Papa & Eli.
Eli getting some work done on the farm.
Lots of work to get done!
Dada & Eli.
Big Papa & Eli.
Big Papa giving Eli some tractor tips.
The guys out for a walk.
North Dakota cacti.
Beautiful.
The cows are out for some lunch!
More cacti.
Wow.
Tumbleweed.
The letters in the background use to read Bowman.
Bruce and Anita's home.
A shot of Eli's cute little bottom in his Wranglers! Thanks, Nana!
My Grandma Jean (right) with her dear friend, Roberta. They both grew up in Bowman and have been friends since they were little girls.
All throughout my life, my Dad's family has held reunions bi-annually. We have them in North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota and Colorado. The reunion is usually held at the end of June in honor of my Great-Grandfather's birthday. In 1980 (the year I was born) they held the first reunion in honor of his 100th birthday, and this year we celebrated his 130th birthday! The family consists of the decedents of my Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa McLaughlin. This year my Grandpa and 4 of his brothers were able to make it.This reunion was a wonderful weekend with wonderful people. It was held in Bowman, ND where my Grandpa grew up. My Grandma Jean also grew up in this small town, so our roots are deep in Bowman. I always loved going to Bowman as a little girl, and I still do! I remember walking around town with my cousins, going to visit any of the Great-Aunts and Great-Uncles (who are like extra Grandparents). We would go to the local pool to swim and then run down to the Tasty Freeze (yep, like Jack n' Diane) for a snack.
We got to Bowman Friday morning, and went to my Great-Aunt Darlene and Great-Uncle Gerald's house to visit. Later we went to their son Bruce and his wife Anita's home just down the road. We had a nice dinner and met up with everyone. Because of the traveling, most were pretty sleepy early on, so it was an early night for all.
Saturday, we started out at Bruce and Anita's for a delicious pancake breakfast followed by horseback riding on Bruce and Anita's property with their horses, Otie, Bill & Bambie. Eli was lucky enough to ride three times! He LOVED the horses!
After a while, we went back to the hotel for a nap and some swimming with Eli. Later, we went to Bruce and Anita's for a BBQ and an evening of catching up with family. One of our favorite things to do is listen to my Grandpa and his brothers tell us stories about growing up on the farm. Shortly after some storytelling, we decided to get a fire going and get ourselves situated for an evening of more catching up, etc. Eli had gone to bed earlier, so, Nick and I were looking forward to some fun with the family! Before we knew it, my cousin Corey was hollering, "Call 911!"
To my shock, I see a man lying at the end of Bruce and Anita's driveway. It was my cousin, Craig, Gerald and Darlene's Grandson. He had just gotten to Bruce and Anita's and was flying a remote control airplane when he collapsed. We could see that he was breathing and he had a strong pulse. My dad held his head and my mom had her hand on his wrist as she monitored his pulse. I was rubbing his back and could feel a strong pulse as well as his breathing which seemed strong. He was completely out... there was nothing.
When the police arrived, they laid him on his back and said that he stopped breathing. In hindsight, the strong breaths I felt while rubbing his back were probably labored breathing… his last breaths. When they rolled him onto his back, you could see that he was gone. His eyes rolled back and his arm just lay out in an awkward position. But they tried CPR on him… we all prayed to ourselves as we stood there and watched them work on him. I begged God to please save him, but I knew in my heart that it was too late.
Craig McLaughlin II was 30 years old when he died last Saturday. The following Thursday, July 1st, was to be his 31st birthday. He suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage. There was nothing anyone could have done. That being said, it isn’t easy to watch someone so young loose their life so quickly and so unexpectedly. I think it will take me a while to process this, and even after that, he will always be in my thoughts.
The lesson I am taking away is just to savor every single moment. They are all so very precious.
Craig McLaughlin II was 30 years old when he died last Saturday. The following Thursday, July 1st, was to be his 31st birthday. He suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage. There was nothing anyone could have done. That being said, it isn’t easy to watch someone so young loose their life so quickly and so unexpectedly. I think it will take me a while to process this, and even after that, he will always be in my thoughts.
The lesson I am taking away is just to savor every single moment. They are all so very precious.
