Barn Party!

We had a very important destination this weekend.

A very special event to attend.

A BARN PARTY!

As silly as it sounds, barn parties are the very best.


Q's Uncle Kim and Aunt Jeanie live in Keizer (just outside of Salem) in an old farm house. Old as in, it was built in 1890. It's awesome! Then, to make it even better, there is an old barn on their property as well. But this is not any, old, ordinary barn. It's a complete rebuild of a truly historical barn, of equal age. When it comes to barns, this one is "pimped out."

I'll elaborate on the pimpiness in a few moments.

The Barn Parties Kim and Jeanie throw are most often associated with a big college football game. And this past weekend the Ducks (we are all super fans) played the Huskies (huge rivals) thus, the party.

We had to attend.
And, we had to drive the VW bus over.

Look close inside, you can see Elsie and Brynn, ready for a road trip!

Here's a close up of our bus buddies.

The ride to Kim and Jeanie's is about 2 1/2 hours. I admit, it was pretty fun to travel in the bus. There were at least 4 or 5 times we had people honk, wave, and give thumbs up to us as we cruised along. Pretty funny!

It really was one of the most beautiful drives, the leaves were in full color and the weather was perfect. When we arrived to Kim and Jeanie's house, and pulled up to the barn, we both just smiled...this is where we were spending our weekend!

So, to elaborate a little further. The barn is a far cry from any old barn. It's two stories, with 3 TV's, couches, cozy chairs, a fully plumbed bathroom, and even a small stage for a band to play on! The barn is amazing. Jeanie has a serious knack for decorating and she collects antiques like you wouldn't believe. Her house is like a museum, decorated to perfection, and the barn is no different. It really is like their second home.


Is it not the best?!


There's a second barn on the property...where the...DONKEY's live!
Yes, Gus and Rosco live here!!



Yes, I admit, I do find it slightly ironic / funny that within a matter of weeks of describing myself as a donkey I was sharing my weekend with two...go figure!



Elsie and Brynn were so excited to see the donkeys! Elsie told me she was going to ride Rosco, but once he gave her a formal "hee haw" she seriously backed off on her plans.


Meet Rosco (he's my favorite!)

And here's Gus.

And here's our Oregon Ducks cheerleader laughing at the donkeys and their "hee honks" (yes, the girls think donkey's say 'hee honk')

I think if I could, I would live here.

It's the most beautiful place, any season of the year, it's gorgeous.

The day was great.

We picked grapes off the vine and ate them for snacks. The girls played in the leaves and ran themselves into a deliriously tired stupor. There was great family bonding time as we ate, watched football and played horseshoes, and other games.

We even snuck in a family photo op.

All smiles here...the Ducks won!!

Can I get a

"HHEEEE HOOOONNNKKK!!!"