North Carolina ~ Part 1

We just got back from North Carolina. We had a wonderful time and I want to write all about it. However, I don't want to make any post so picture/dialogue heavy that anyone loses interest. I also don't know if I can do it all in one (or 4) sittings. So, I'm going to break it down a bit. I realize that when you're reading it, it'll be backwards, but we can't have everything, right?
Ok, first of all.....

This is why we went. This is Sarah, Nathan's newest niece. She was having her blessing in church, which is why we made the trip. We arrived late on Thursday night and got to meet her on Friday morning. Nathan's brother Roger arrived that night and his brother Rodney came on Saturday. We had a fun and crazy couple of days going non stop and eating a ton. Here are some shots:

Natalee played in Kirstin's closet for HOURS! It was a little girl paradise. Barbies, ponies, polly pockets, and dolls. HEAVEN! The other three photos are a BBQ place where I had the best cole slaw of my life. (Sorry mom, but it was) I think my dad even would have eaten it. I could be wrong, but I think so.
On Sunday we had the blessing. It was very nice. Greg and Cindy seem to have a wonderful ward. Their church is right next to the Raleigh Temple and I think the church might actually be bigger than the temple. Here's little Sarah and her parents just after the service.

Afterwards we went to Greg and Cindy's for yet more food, fun and family. It was nice to see all the Keaton's again. They are a lot of fun. The last time we saw them we were all heavily involved in a wedding. It was fun to see them on a less stressful occasion.

I had to get a photo of these hot dogs. They are called "Carolina Reds" and they are bright red. You can really tell the difference side by side with the regular ones. I took a bite of Natalee's and they taste mostly the same, but a little different. Maybe it's the dye?

We also had a birthday party for Kirstin. Needless to say, we were all exhausted.

That night we had a Super Bowl party with yet more food. Here are the boys in the kitchen cooking up a storm. We had a several mexican dips in a various heat levels. There were also brats, burritos and cinnamon rolls. It was great food, but we didn't stay to the end of the game. The company was better than a game anyway.