Side Walk Chalking

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Yes, it may seem childish, but side walk chalk is nothing less than fun. While I was sitting on my grandparents porch this summer, I thought to myself it would be fun to create some colorful art on the sidewalk. After I finished my creation and showed it to the others, then almost everyone began coloring away.
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Jessie decided to draw a bright hot air balloon, inspired by one that had flown over our heads just minutes before. Rachel drew a chalky sunset like the one we had been enjoying every night for the past few days. I, on the other hand, was less creative and stuck with the word love. In the end the pavement leading up to my grandparents house was, to put it simply, very very colorful.
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Maple Anniversary Cake

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I made this two-tier cake for my grandparents’ 50th anniversary last week. I was going for a woodsy theme as we were spending the weekend in the Black Hills, South Dakota. Maple is a favorite with Gramps hence the frosting is a silky, rich & earthy, maple buttercream.

Before leaving my Grandparents’ house for the Hills, I made both an 8-inch and 6-inch vanilla cake for the special occasion. Working all day before we were to leave, I finished the cake’s most important components, leaving just the assembly to be completed at the cabin.

Simply put, this anniversary cake is compromised of rich vanilla cake, maple buttercream filling and frosting, and candied pecans sprinkled between each layer and atop. It was a huge hit. We enjoyed this cake together while watching slides of different events and snapshots of Gramps and Grams’ married life (including Gramps’ time serving in Vietnam)

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Reunited in South Dakota

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After our vast assortment of flight itineraries and travel plans, we all (finally) made it to my grandparents house in South Dakota. One of the main reasons that we returned to the US this summer was to celebrate my Grandparents fiftieth anniversary- congratulations Grandma and Grandpa! A couple of days after arriving in SD, my Dad’s two brothers and their families joined us for a family get-together in the Black Hills to celebrate this milestone in the Headrick family.

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While in the black hills we drove through the beautiful Custer State Park- spotting buffalo, prairie dogs, and deer on the way. We also enjoyed many river-side picnics, mountain hikes, and campfire s’mores together throughout the weekend on top of visiting Mount Rushmore for the first time.

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The night of their anniversary, my Grandpa unpacked his slide projector to show us some photos of his time in Vietnam where he served as a pilot in the Air-force. I’m thinking we have a hidden photographer in the family because his photos were exceptional! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture some of the best shots, so these will have to do.

On the six-hour drive up to our cabin at the beginning of the trip, I had the opportunity to listen to Grandpa’s stories of his life as a pilot in the Vietnamese war. I am so honored to have had this chance, hearing about his life at that time is such an honor.

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