The Not-So-Bad Braunlich Bash

It all started with a vague text.

'Casual cookout. Potluck. 6 o'clock.'

Now, I'm not good with dates and birthdays, so it took me a while to figure out why there was a random cookout going on, but it was my dad's cousin Jamie's birthday.

Since it was a potluck, we didn't want to arrive without bringing something, so we went to Kroger. My sister and I wandered the aisles as weird spy-like music was playing above us, while our parents were hunting for cookies. It didn't take too long, even with Melanie's need to buy Pringles.

We arrived to the Braunlich house at around 5, and Melanie jumped right into their pool. I passed on that, knowing many, many, many, maaaaany people were going to pop up and see my hair all messed up if I did. And I hadn't brought my swim stuff anyways.

Anyways, we were pretty much the first ones there... Until it seemed like a floodgate opened.

My dad's cousin Jamie's husband Fritz has 7 siblings. Six showed up with their families. There were family friends and even more family. It became a pretty big party. I get uncomfortable at big parties, and I was hungry.

I shuffled my way through the kitchen and waited in line for a plate, then hurried outside to wait by the grill so my dad could give me a piece of chicken. I called dibs on food...

After receiving said food, I had another dilemma. Where do I sit?

By the pool? No. I hate being surrounded by drippy wet people while eating. In a lawn chair? Nooo, there were begging dogs around wanting my food. In the kitchen? No, too crowded. Well, I ended up in the dining room all by myself, Miss Anti-Social. Haha. I was surrounded by Swedish food because one of the guest's (Courtney, daughter of Fritz's brother Michael) husband Emile lived in Sweden but is in the U.S. now.

Not much went on for a bit, except the birthday girl almost going into the pool with her husband Fritz on the diving board.

Then someone got out the cornhole game. For those who don't know, or are immature, it's a game with wooden boards that you throw corn-filled bags at. There's a hole cut in the board and you try to get the bags in it. On the board is one point, and in the hole is three.

Image by Chris Winters via Flickr

My mom was teamed up with Victor, one of Fritz's brothers. The first game, they lost 21 to 2, but then he got really good at the game and they won the next four. Everyone who played did very well.

After it got dark, the cornhole games ceased and I ended up near the pool, watching my sister bob around like a nutcase. The pool light lit up the deep end, and the children seemed like flies as they huddled near it. Yes, they could all swim well.

Courtney and Emile (I probably didn't spell his name right) started playing guitar and sang inside, and it was a really good little performance. The party was winding down at this point and I was starting to relax, even with the Braunlich crowd.

Overall, I had fun... Even with the big, strange crowd I was with.