We had a very long, but great weekend with the Vander Well clan as we gathered to celebrate my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. When we approached mom and dad about it earlier in the year, mom really wanted to be with her family and dad kind of wanted a nice open house. So, we gave them each what they wanted.

On Friday night just the family (all 15 of us) met at Noah’s Ark restaurant in Des Moines. Noah’s is an old family favorite, and all of us enjoyed a great meal together. Good food, good wine and lots of laughter!
On Saturday morning we all gathered to take family pictures at the park and then spent the afternoon welcoming family and friends at the folk’s church for an open house. It was amazing to see so many people come to celebrate. There were family, friends and neighbors we hadn’t seen in years.

(btw, mom and dad have always dreamed of going to Hawaii, but raising four kids and six grandchildren have kept them poor and busy. So, in honor of all they’ve done for us through the years, we pitched in to send them on their way. They leave for Honalulu in October!)

Here’s a few pics of the family. Enjoy!