Branson, MO July 24th - July 31st

So I took a week long break from my internship to go to Branson, Missouri. One might ask, what is in Branson? My response before I went was NOTHING!!!! Then I went. My mom's side of the family the Becksteads had a family reunion. I wasn't excited about going to Missouri but was excited to see my cousins. But now I do recommend people that want to have a relaxed vacation to go to Branson. There is tons of stuff to do there. It is known for all the shows. There are tons of plays, musicals, concerts, and more.
For the family reunion we all stayed in this huge lodge. Staying all together causes for some fun times. My mom and her sisters planned the whole thing. We planned activities each day to do as a family. Each day that we were there we celebrated a different holiday. Saturday the 24th is actually a holiday for us Mormons it is pioneer day which is the day that the pioneers traveling west to arrive in Utah. So that was the day that all of us were traveling to Branson. On Sunday we celebrated Valentine's Day where we wrote everyone in the family a valentine. We also decorated heart shaped sugar cookies. Monday we celebrated PI day 3.14. We made some good pies. I sure love to eat pies. Also on Monday we went to the lake and rented a boat to go water skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing. It was sooo much fun. I could've been out there all day. I tried wakeboarding and I could not get up. I would've tried all day but I knew other people wanted to try. Though I did love tubing. On Tuesday was a day of rest. We celebrated Easter and had a good dinner. I went with some of my cousins and my grandparents and saw Noah the musical show. It was really a great show. At the end one of the people working at the theater got up and started talking about Christ and how we need to accept him in our lives. This is true but there is more to it than to just accept Christ. So my Grandpa being the man that he is said, "It was a great production! Too bad they don't know what they're talking about." After dinner most of us went Go-carting and then to a hollywood wax museum. Driving a go-cart was a lot of fun but the wax museum was a waste of money.
On Wednesday we went to Silver Dollar City, which is the amusement park in Branson. There were only a few good rides and they were on the opposite side of the park from each other. I rode each of them at least 3 times. But other than that it is a waste of time and money. It really isn't some place to spend a whole day at. But it was still a fun day and we celebrated everyone's birthday on this day. We got a pair of socks for our gift. I love that because I always need more socks. Thursday was supposed to be a day of rest but it turned into a busy and early day. I went golfing in the morning with my dad and cousins Stuart and Tyler. It was lots of fun. the last time I went golfing was 6 years ago so I was out of practice. I finally got the hang of it by the last hole. We golfed 13 holes. After that we went to a Zipline place. We rode 5 ziplines and walekd across 3 rope bridges. It was tons of fun. I love going fast and swinging through the air. My favorite memory of it was when my Aunt Sandra came into one of the stops backwards off the zipline and so she didn't slow herself down and completely took out our guide. It was hilarious. I will definitely have to go again sometime. After that we went home and enjoyed a great Thanksgiving meal. That evening we went as a whole family to the Chinese acrobat show. All I can say is ouch. It was great.
Friday might have been one of the best days because it was the best holiday. Christmas!!! My sisters and I made paper stockings for everyone and got people their favorite candy in the spirit of Santa Claus. Also, we went to the water park. That was amazing. There were so many good slides and I just love the water. It was a great way to end the family reunion. We had a great Christmas dinner and then exchanged gifts. I am so happy to be a member of the Beckstead family. I was not excited to come home. More I wasn't excited to have to drive all the way home. We drove out there but I was excited to get to Branson so it was different. I was not excited to get home except that meant I wasn't in a car when we did get home. My family got home Sunday night after stopping in Louisville on Saturday night and then getting back to Maryland Sunday. I had a great vacation and love seeing my extended family every chance I get. I can't wait until the next family reunion.