Yup

My family is tiny (there are more cats than people ... seriously), but I get to live vicariously through L, who has a big, friendly, welcoming, and just generally awesome family. A large portion of his relatives live a few counties away, which means that they are just a short road trip away at any given moment (but are just far enough away that we don't get out there to see them as often as we'd like to). Earlier this week, L's sister called him to invite us to a surprise party in honor of his cousin's 30th birthday. It was the perfect excuse for us to load up the car and hit the road.

We got an early start - or at least, early for L, who tends to be a bit of a late riser on the weekend - and miraculously managed to miss pretty much all of the traffic. The happiest surprise on the drive out there was the misty, foggy, slightly rainy morning that accompanied our trip, despite the "0% chance" of rain that was listed when we checked the weather online. L and I share a special love for stormy days, and getting to drive through some little pockets of rain as we cut through the mountains made the trip extra special.

The party itself was a blast ... great food, lots of hugs and laughter, and one very surprised birthday girl. We brought a very cool gift for her - a very cool handmade gift, of course - which I'll be dedicating a full post to in the future.

We stayed at the party late into the evening, and loaded up on coffee before hopping in the car to head back home. On the trip back, we hit even more rain (but still encountered next to no traffic). And since L did all of the driving, I got to sit back and take it all in. So cool.

By the time we made it back into town, L and I were starving. Sadly, our area is notorious for shutting down as soon as the street lights come on, so our options were limited. Some quick thinking by L lead us to a place that was not only open, but also super yummy. We filled our bellies and returned home ... with nearly six hours of driving and eight hours of celebrating under our belts. What a day. :)