Rob and I recently traveled to Colorado to visit some distant relatives of his that I had never met before.  I was excited to meet his family and I was also excited to explore Colorado since I had never been there before.  We stayed with John and his wife, Leslie, who they live just south of Denver.  John is 2nd cousins with Rob’s mother, Nena, so I believe that makes John, Rob’s second cousin once-removed?  The terminology for distant relatives can be a bit confusing to me, but I think I finally got it down.  Regardless, they are family.

We arrived at John and Leslie’s house at about 5:00 and we were just in time for a great BBQ and birthday celebration.  John and Leslie’s two daughters, Carrie & Becky (Rob’s 3rd cousins?) and the accompanying four grandchildren, as well as close family friends, Dan & Peggy, all came out to meet us, as well as celebrate Carrie’s birthday.  They are an incredible family…the kind of people that make you feel warm and welcome as soon as you meet them.  After only being there for an hour, I felt like I had known them for years.  The weather was fabulous, so we enjoyed ourselves outside on the back patio with lively conversation and delicious food.  We stayed out there for hours eating, drinking, and chatting and it was a great way to relax and get settled in after our flight.  Due to the time change, Rob and I were ready to go to bed pretty early, so we called it a night so that we could energize ourselves to start exploring Colorado the next morning.  All in all, it was a fabulous welcome reception with family in a new place.