SATURDAY in Sacramento.  You know, a lot can be said about Sacramento but "bright lights - big city" is not one of them.  We were both raised here and so visiting is weird because Kevin always wants to hang out at his old junior high school (where he almost completed 7th grade) and Stacy always wants to go to visit her old friends from Girl Scouts (pot heads).  We don't get back here often enough (mostly because of the of the restraining orders) but this time we had a reason to sneak into town.

FAMILY REUNION!  Okay, it's probably more honest to call it a "supervised visit" but either way we're here, our relatives are here and the social workers are here.  The event was held in some county park where we all had to pay $4 bucks to park and weren't allowed to drink beer because children were around.  It's really pretty funny when you realize that most of the kids over 12 in our family already have kids of their own - but their parents don't let 'em drink or smoke until they're at least 14 so we think that's showing responsibility.  Now you know why there are social workers around 24/7.

Look, it was great seeing all of the family that's out on parole and not in residential rehab programs (we've been to those and while it's pretty easy to score with the other patients the food sucks!).  By the time the afternoon was over everyone was drunk (one of the cousins sneaked a keg of Old Milwaukee in disguised as their mom), the social workers had written up at least 11 "denial of visitation" recommendations and we headed back to our room at the Riverview Family Motel.  Tomorrow instead of church we're on the road again so it'll be a day of more Cheetos and beer...

                
    Kevin's uncle couldn't make it to the reunion.              Kevin's cousin was busy also so he couldn't make it either.

      
Kevin's half-brothers cooked the burgers and chicken.            One of Kevin's cousins had perhaps a beer too many!