Visitors from Texas!

Brandon's mom and step-dad came to visit us a few weeks ago, for two weeks! Two weeks, people! That means they really love us. They recently purchased a fancy trailer, so they made the long haul up from Texas to the Berkshires, where they set up their trailer at a campground about 30 minutes away. It was really nice to have them visit us, again! I have recently decided that how many times people come to visit me in Massachusetts, is how many times they are allowed to come visit me in Hawaii, if the Marine Corps Gods send us there (which they should!). So if you haven't come to visit us in Pittsfield, you better!

We were able to do some fun things with Brandon's parents while they were here. We would meet for dinner after work and go on adventures on the weekends. In January, they flew to come see us and couldn't bring their sassy little puppy Lily, but this time they did. She is so cute. Sometimes her and Brawley would run around the backyard. Brawley always wants dogs to chase him. Lily did sometimes but other times she was like, "Uh, chase you? No thank you."

We crossed some of the items off of my summer bucket list, and I even added some to my list just to cross off, too! We went to the Berkshire Botanical Gardens and saw the most precious wishing tree. I want to start one at my house. It would be a great idea for a wedding too. It was extremely hot and humid out the day when we to the gardens, so we strolled through a wood-worker fair and then quickly strolled around the gardens before heading off to an air-conditioned spot.

We went to the Norman Rockwell Museum and got in free thanks to Blue Star Families. This awesome program connects with museums across the country to allow military families to visit for free. It's been the second museum I went to this summer that participated in the program. I think it's just great. Anyways, the museum was very cool. We wandered around for about an hour viewing all of Norman Rockwell's art work. It's a little strange to think that some of his most famous artwork was inspired from the Berkshires, the area I live in.

We also went to the Saratoga Racetrack, which was kind of a disappointment, but we were still happy that we checked it out. It was super hot out and we were only able to stay for a few races. I have never seen so many people in my life though. People were literally camped out in front of the sporadic televisions around the grounds. They watched the race from there instead of watching the real thing. A little strange but whatever floats your boat. We never got to sit down, but we were able to place some bets and I won $10.80! I figured if I bet on every horse that is racing, I have to win something, right?

Overall, we had a great visit and it was fun to finally do some of the touristy things in our area. My in-laws are very generous and kind people. They treated Brandon and I to many meals and activities and we are so thankful for them. We are looking forward to our next visit, where hopefully the weather will be a little more enjoyable!