Our real family reunion started on Tuesday right after the family pictures. Every one was supposed to meet at the Roy Aquatics Center around 2:30. I had the brilliant idea that I would drive up to Logan for the family pictures and then head back and over to Eden to unload my bags and food into our condo and then head down to the swimming pool. It was a dumb idea because I was doing lots of needless driving and I was stressed before we even got started.
Everyone had a great time at the pool. We only stayed for a couple of hours, but the pool was not overcrowded and the kids enjoyed the slides and splashing around in the water. I really enjoyed watching all the kids interact with their aunts and uncles that they did not know very well. Its like we never skipped a beat. Its sad that we live so far away from each other, but nice that our kids feel loved and comfortable around our siblings.
I also had a great time snapping pictures of the excitement that was going on. All the adults and older nieces had a good time visiting by the edge of the pool. Its always a good feeling to be near a pool when its so hot outside. It was over 100 degrees every day of our reunion.
Sherrie felt completely overwhelmed at the constant activities that were going on (and rightfully so), so she stayed at my house and took a little nap and regrouped. Sherrie is eight months pregnant and going through a lot of stress right now. Not only does she have a "high risk" pregnancy, but she is recovering from influenza and bronchitis, and in the process of moving back to Houston. Right before they came to Utah, she was trying to get her house in Roanoke on the market to sell, and also driving back and forth between Houston and Dallas to try to find a new home to purchase. She also has to find a new doctor before the baby comes....needless to say, she has a lot on her plate right now.
After the pool, everyone grabbed dinner and headed to the park in Riverdale. We met up with the Whetten family at the park for dinner and visiting. Everyone had a great time talking and eating and "catching up" with each other. The Whetten family grew up in College Station with our family and our famililes did so many things together. We camped with them and spent many holidays in each others homes. Brother Whetten passed away last September, so it was an emotional reunion, especially without him there. They are a wonderful family and we were glad to have that time to spend with them.
Around 8 pm, everyone started heading up to the town homes at Moose Hollow. In our four room townhome, our family stayed upstairs, Sherrie and Brian stayed on the main floor, and Shayne and Jen stayed in the basement. It ended up being a good arrangement because Sherrie was exhausted and went to bed early every night. Shayne and Jen would put there kids down early for bed and so it was a quiet place for them to do that. The hanging out and party was at the other town home.
This year I was in charge of planning the reunion. I took it upon myself to plan this first one with the help of Stephanie. It was a lot of work, much more than I had anticipated. Its time consuming trying to organize something that big for that many families. You have to take into consideration the finances of each family, the family dynamics as far as ages of children, the likes and dislikes of each family, and many more small details that pop up along the way.
Originally Steph found some condos up at her Wolf Creek condos. The prices were more expensive than everyone wanted to pay because they had to be booked for an entire week rather than 3 nights. I ended up finding some beautiful townhomes up in Eden and the prices were just right.
This townhome was a 5 bedroom home and just gorgeous as could be. In fact, both homes were very nice. Because the weather was abnormally HOT, the rooms were a little warm. Sherrie's room seemed to be the worst (of course), so she spent most of her nights downstairs on the couches. Anyway, in the 5 bedroom home, Sean and Kellye had the master king suite upstairs, Mom and Dad had the queen room upstairs, Jocelynn and Kyle had the main floor suite, Steph and Paul had a queen suite that joined with a second queen room downstairs. All the teenage girls slept in the basement family room. Tyler stayed up in the loft.
We had a great time at night after dinner. The kids ran around downstairs and played in the family room. The adults talked and ate and joked in the living room on the main floor. Sometimes it got to be a little loud, but we had a great time. One night, Shayne introduced the game, Bum Darts, to those who have never played. Every one was laughing so hard. His introduction to the game is so funny.
Our condos were very close to each other, so that gave cousins and family members access to each other very quickly. It was such a beautiful location and everyone seemed to enjoy their first day and night of the reunion! As each phase of the reunion was over, it made me feel so happy because every thing fell into place and things seemed to run smoothly. All the hard work I had done was paying off for me as I saw the excitement, joy, and love on my family members faces!
This year I was in charge of planning the reunion. I took it upon myself to plan this first one with the help of Stephanie. It was a lot of work, much more than I had anticipated. Its time consuming trying to organize something that big for that many families. You have to take into consideration the finances of each family, the family dynamics as far as ages of children, the likes and dislikes of each family, and many more small details that pop up along the way.
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