Family Mellmann

August was a bit of a whirlwind.  The last days of July saw a hard push toward getting us ready to move into the house.  It was nip-and-tuck (everything last minute) all the way, but we vacated our Livingston apartment and landed in our new Absarokee home one day before family arrived from Germany for a visit.  We moved the last of our belongings into the house on Sunday and didn't even have hot water yet.  On Monday, we received our company AND hot water.  The house went from a construction site to full of life literally over night. Our company went right to work helping us move furniture out onto the patio and assemble what needed assembling.  We played games on the porch, grilled burgers, and after a few days of testing out the house, we loaded up the cars and toured Yellowstone, Beartooth Highway and Chief Joseph Pass, and made a stop at the old ghost town of Bannock. On the last day, before our family left to go back to Germany, we were visited by a li...

July 4th started early (to try to beat the heat).  This is the weekend we start moving our belongings from storage in Livingston (where we currently live) to the garage and bonus room of the house.  We aren't quite ready to move IN, but when the house is done our stuff will be right there ready to roll in.   Once we got to the house, we noticed that someone had been digging in our yard.  Our excavator is putting in the septic and preparing to bring water to the house.  In the meantime, the knobs have been installed in the laundry room, and another chandelier has gone up. Technically, the Livingston parade was held on the 2nd, but since it's part of the 4th of July celebration I'll include the pictures here.  Pam and I went together to see the parade and chat.  I've decided that you are living in the right place when there are almost as many horses in your parade as there are humans. When the parade was over we went back to the house for a cookout where...

We got the family together this evening to celebrate Dad and Sharon's 49th wedding anniversary.

I had the most lovely afternoon with my daughter today. She moved, somewhat unwillingly, into her own (first) apartment last Saturday. Despite having more than a week to get ready (months actually), she moved out unprepared. She didn't have flatware, dishes, glasses, pots or pans, or anything useful for living on your own. For those of you familiar with inattentive brain ADHD, planning ahead or having a vision for the future - even if that future is only 48 or 24 hours away - is not a thing. Without tools and strategies for planning and executing tasks, NOTHING gets done. Nothing is important until it's...too late. So, alone in her disorganized tiny apartment, Katherine started to figure out what she was missing. Most notable, she couldn't cook meals - unless they came in a microwavable package, which she has decided is fine once in a while but not every.single.day. Ahhh. The brain starts to learn what happens when you fail to plan. Anyway, Grandparents (and paren...

Today is a big day for this family.  Today, we moved Katherine into her first apartment.  For those who know her, this was not a day of celebration but of anxiety and fear.  But she did it. We took her temporary bed over this morning and got it set up for her.  All of her bedroom furniture is buried in one of our storage units and won't be accessible until we move into our new house, so she is borrowing a spare bed from Grandma and Grandpa.  With the bed set up - it takes up most of the space, we moved the rest of her things from our apartment to hers. This apartment is a blessing.  It is in a converted motel that now has efficiency apartments.  It is very tiny, but there is laundry on the premises, a grill and patio for community use, and it is located across the street from where Katherine works.  This is particularly important since she does not drive (if you've ever known someone with ASD and ADHD you'll understand why).  She will continu...

On Saturday, the whole family (everyone who was available) gathered at the local Chinese restaurant for a celebration dinner in honor of Al and Diana's anniversary. After the meal we gathered at the home of Denise and Greg for a little dessert and more stories, updates, and laughter. Sharon and Charles, and Larry Denise and her older son Pam, Diana, Russana, Russana's daughter Lauren Lauren's son, Lauren, Denise's younger son, husband and dog, and older son And it wouldn't be a family reunion without some family pictures.  I didn't get everyone but I got most. The Perrys The Hudsons The siblings and their spouses  Happy Anniversary Al and Diana!

Friday was relaxed and full of laughter, stories, and conversation.  In the afternoon, my cousin Denise came over and we had a lovely time of catching up.  The last time we saw each other was 25 years ago at her wedding.  So much has happened since then! In the evening, we went to a local ministry where they give a gospel concert (and if you know the words, it's also a sing-along).  It was a relaxed evening of old time gospel music which is broadcast on local access television and the radio.