Bown County Park Cookout

Knowing we had a free weekend April 18th and 19th, Darrin and I decided to pack up the car and venture down to Indian to visit Jamie. The preparation for our trip started early Friday morning. I got the car filled up, washed, and vacuumed out the spilled dog food from our last trip. I pack everything except Darrin's clothes. That is a lot of responsibility and has resulted in an official packing list. When Darrin got home Friday he immediately jumped into the mechanic role, replacing the breaks and rotating the tires on the Subaru. (Makes traveling safer when the breaks are brand new!) Once he finished, he threw the bikes on top and we were on our way...only 3 hours later than we had hoped.

The good news was that we weren't going to hit any traffic and the bad news was that with the time change we wouldn't be to Jamie's apartment until 3am. Darrin drove as long as he could keep his eyes open, while I caught a much needed nap. I took over just after Chicago and safely got us to Bloomington, Indiana.

We slept as long as we could, then finished the preparations for our Picnic in the Park. Darrin needed to do some mountain bike training at Brown County Park. Jamie and I were thinking not of biking, but of a cook out. The weather in Bloomington Indiana that day was around 80 degrees, sunshine, and beautiful. We took full advantage of the day. To make the day more enjoyable, Jamie invited team mates and managers to picnic with us.

I prepared lots of good food: taco dip, Jamie's Salad, Western Dressing Dip, Fresh fruits, and Veggies. Darrin got in his training only to become our grill master for the evening. Brats, hot dogs, chicken, and hamburgers filled our bellies. Wow those Kids can eat! I brought pudding, vanilla wafers, cool whip, and chocolate chips for dessert. Jamie brought marshmallows. Little kids love to build their own desserts and I thought I would see if college kids would love it too. It was a hit! The girls (and guys) got a few laughs while roasting marshmallows over the grill. Kevin put chocolate chips in his marshmallow and roasted it. He then put it on a vanilla wafer. Ta-da, a makeshift smore! I think the highlight of the afternoon was when Sasha wrapped hers in aluminum foil and hung it from a twig. We have never seen a marshmallow roasted this way before.

Everyone kept busy throughout the afternoon. Some rode bikes, while everyone else played a game of touch football. Jori Kept the dogs entertained by throwing a ball. Or perhaps they kept her entertained as they never really brought the ball back to her, she had to come and get it! Sooner than later the sun began to fade and we packed everything back into the car.

We would have to say it was Great company, which made for a great weekend!