Reunions X 5 -- You Gotta Love 'Em All!

Busy, busy, worky, worky. That sums up our summer. It is unmatched by any other of our summers, for sure. We both feel like we've been running from one thing to the next, and that our schedule or plans are just a running joke between the two of us. And yet, it has been full of some of the best experiences ever, with family especially.

It was the year of five reunions. Including one weekend that we affectionately referred to as the trifecta (because of the THREE reunions held on four days). So. Reunions. You've gotta love them. We grew up on reunions, traveling from California to Utah once a year to spend a day catching up with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. And we loved those reunions. I remember running around all day with my cousins, stopping only for a picnic lunch or homemade treats made by my aunts, and lazing around the grass listening to my parents and their siblings talk about the old days, growing up together in another time. Oh how I loved those reunions! And I'm certain that we heard the same stories year after year, with a few new ones thrown in for good measure. But we still loved hearing them, and hearing the grownups laugh and reminisce.

Fast forward to today's harried pace. We run from one thing to the next, and reunions and family gatherings come up, and we wonder if we really have time to fit that into the schedule. We had a reunion for my husband's cousins and aunt and uncle on his dad's side. We had the two more reunions for my cousins on my mom's and also on my dad's side. And we had a reunion for all of the family members from my parents on down. Last, but not least, we had the second annual reunion for me and my husband and our kids and grandkids. Now, let me stop right there. Anyone who knows us knows that our kids all live within 7 miles of us. Most of them are much closer than that. And knowing that, you might say, "Why a reunion? What is the purpose of 'reuniting' when you already see each other quite often?" And I would say to that, "We have a reunion so that we can spend a couple of days focusing just on our family, on our relationships. To play and laugh together without any interruptions. To reminisce and love and appreciate each other. To give our grandchildren (and each of us, for that matter) the opportunity to learn about their ancestors -- all of those who have paved the way for us today." That is why we have our little reunion, and that is why we might find ourselves going to five reunions in a given year.

My most favorite people in all the world
(Numbers represent order of grandkiddos)

And speaking of our reunion, we had a wonderful time together. It never gets any better than all of us being together. It feels so right, so complete. I love it! We started out with a trip to Hogle Zoo on a Thursday. It ended up being all of the mommies and kiddos, along with Bob and I. It also ended up being a scorching hot day, but we carried on and those mommies were real troupers!

This is our entourage... with 5 babies in strollers
and two walking kiddos.
LOVE those mommies and sweet kiddos.
And that man behind them all? Be still my heart!

After the zoo, everyone went to their homes, and then the next day we met up at the cabin to spend a night together. It turned out that Bob had to wake up early on Saturday and drive home for a funeral, and then hurry back up. It wasn't in the plan (remember that our "plans" are our running joke this year), but we adjusted and made do. And that is a whole other story which I won't go into right now. Suffice it to say, we were happy to have him back so that we could carry on with the fun. While up at the cabin we had a treasure hunt for the kids...

a pinata...

an ancestor game where they all got a stack of photos and had to put them in pedigree order...

Hmmmm. Mostly right, anyway.

a puzzle game, where they got a little packet and didn't know what the puzzle was, but had to try to be the first to put it together...

The box the puzzles came in (which they didn't
get to see til after the game was over)

and because it's not a reunion unless you do this, we had every couple bring a jar with treats in it for everyone to guess the number of...

We tried to fit in as much as we could to make it special for everyone there.

We also spent some time after most of the kids were in bed on Friday night, talking about how grateful we are for each member of our family, and also for our ancestors. We tried to punctuate the fact that it is so important to get to know each of their stories and understand them a bit so that we know who we have come from, and what kind of stock we are made of.

'Can't get enough of these photos of amazing, wonderful people that make up our family. These three bottom photos are from the trifecta weekend. Three different reunions in four days.  Makes me very tired... and happy that I have those sweet memories!

Those Idyllic Summer Days

It's been a fast and busy summer, hasn't it?! I still wonder what ever happened to the long, lazy summers of youth. We would go out to play after lunch (and to my Dad's horror, in our bare feet), and we'd reappear sometime around dinner time. And then, we'd head back out for a healthy dose of night games. The days seemed to stretch on and on. We did all those cliche things, like laying on the grass and looking up at the clouds to find animals and shapes, making whistles out of grass shoots, rubbing yellow dandelion flowers on our chins to "see if you liked mustard", held our own carnivals and theatrical productions (complete with hand-written fliers going out to houses, and posters being put up at the end of the street), roller skated, rode bikes, and walked down to the drug store to spend our allowance on real penny candy. Do they even have real penny candy any more? I think not. Anyway. Those were the days. The summers were perfect. Our mom made sure to take us on trips to the beach, "turtle" hunting (which was really rock hunting mixed with creek walking), berry picking, and as school neared, shopping for school clothes. Ah. The memories make my shoulders relax a little, and my blood pressure start it's journey downward. Sweet, sweet times.

I've got a couple of weeks left of summer. Maybe I can get a cloud-gazing day in yet. I'm going to give it my all.

On a completely different subject, I've arrived at a do-able way for me to get my chores done. I was getting way behind, and kept putting off different chores until it was obviously a "chore emergency", and then I would have to spend time then and there and get 'er done. I decided something needed to change to get me back on track. So, I'm back at designating Monday for my cleaning day. I have two different lists that I rotate through every other Monday, and that seems to be the ticket. I can't clean my house from top to bottom every week. Time-wise that is not ever going to happen. So, I do half of the cleaning every other week. And you surely know by now that I love lists. So, I've put my cleaning to-do's on a list inside of a plastic sleeve so that I can mark it off as I go with a dry-erase marker. Perfect! And then, if I get interrupted by something important (like a grand baby making a visit), then I leave that list out for the next day or two til I get everything done. So far it has worked like a charm. I have even gotten to chores that I have put off for a very long time. Oh, and I also have added things to the list like "cleaning the fireplace glass" which only has to be done about once a year, but I want to be sure I do it, and have a date by it, so I'll know next year when to get to it again. I know, I know. Maybe a little OCD, but it really does work for me. (Finding a good house cleaner would work for me, too, but alas...)

And getting back to the subject of summer-time relaxing, Bob and I got away to the cabin for a little overnight last Friday night. It was critical (that sounds dramatic, but it is oh, so accurate) that we find some time to unwind, and that was just the ticket. Once we got there, we went out for a ride in the evening, and were treated to some amazing sights...

We saw a few different sets of mama and baby moose.

And then we rounded the corner and saw these two bull moose just chomping away at some sort of greenery. We turned the Mule off and sat and watched. Simply magnificent.

And then they decided to cross the road.

This guy stopped and looked at us as if deciding whether it was worth his time and energy to stomp or maybe even gore us.

Luckily, it was not worth his time. Or energy.

New Year's at the Cabin

We had a quick, but wonderful getaway up to the cabin for the New Year's celebrations. We started arriving at the cabin on Monday, and by Tuesday, everyone was there. Words can't describe the joy that I feel when our whole little family is all together. Somehow I feel so complete and so indescribably happy. I love the fun-loving banter that goes on, as well as the hilarious laughter. And there are times when I see one of my kids (or kid-in-laws) building up one of the others -- helping them feel better about themselves or a situation. Yep. It really doesn't get much better than those times when we're all together.

And while up there, on New Year's Day, we read aloud the "Memories and Sweet Moments" from 2013.

It's funny how you sometimes forget those memories. It was pretty great to hear each of us around the table read a few of the cards. And then reminisce a little about the memory. It's a really great tradition for our family. We keep the previous years' memories in the jar on a little ring so that we can also look through those if we want.

I so love the new year and January. I love putting away all the Christmas things and gifts and such, and getting my house back to a "clean slate". Sometimes I leave tables bare for a little while, just because I love the uncluttered feeling. I also am in a "purging" state, throwing away and/or donating anything I can get my hands on. I have a secret wish to have a Desert Industries storage pod parked on my driveway for a week or two so that I can just continually march things out there without giving each item a second thought. 

I am definitely in a re-organizing mode. I have closet after closet and room after room that all need an overhaul. Can't wait to get my hands on them!

The weather, it is a-changing!

We had an end-of-the summer cabin getaway last weekend, from Thursday to Saturday. Some of the family weren't able to come because of work schedules and such, but we had a great time with those that were there!

We went on a few Mule rides...

We saw some incredible wildlife. This enormous bull moose was just hanging around as we rounded a corner on the road. Wilson got out of the Mule to get a closer look, which makes his mother a little nervous, but he was careful, and ended up getting some great shots of the big fella.

We also happened upon a small herd of elk, which is a rare occasion. We are lucky to see even one elk once a year, but to see several together is a great event! We stopped the Mule and watched them for a while.

After everyone left to go home, Bob and I stayed around to do a bit of cleaning. While we were eating lunch, we had a crazy hailstorm! It was as if we were being reminded that summer is over, and the white stuff is on its way!

And then, to put an exclamation point on the thought, we saw these beautiful fall leaves on the way home. Can you believe it?!  It IS still August, right?

This made me excited for when Bob and I go on our annual cabin trip to cut down some of the gorgeous fall foliage to use in decorating our house and cabin. It looks we better be making that trip sooner than later!

Family Reunion

My husband and I were in charge of a family reunion on Saturday at our cabin. It was so nice to get together -- even for just a few hours -- and catch up on everyone's lives. 

The boys played football. And yes, that's my son... the tall one in the center.

I love how intent they all are on watching that ball.

In this family reunion (for my husband's paternal grandparents, who are no longer living), there are only two siblings who lived long enough to have their own families. We had the families of each of the two siblings wear a "family color", hence the green and blue shirts. We played a game where we had all of the first cousins have to put together a descendant chart for all of the descendants from the union of those grandparents. There are almost 100 descendants from the two, so its amazing how the numbers fan out and grow!

Of course Kerplunk was played!

And how cute is that man at the grill? Seriously. And the kids behind him? Couldn't be any better!

The crowds sitting down to a great burger!

We can't have an open fire pit in our cabin area (cuts down on forest fires, so we're actually grateful for the rules!). To compensate, we have a gas version that works perfectly for marshmallows and even popcorn poppers! It does the job!

All in all, it was a success, I think! We had the opportunity to renew family acquaintances, and also to learn a bit about those who have gone before us.

Dresser Drawers Repurposed into Shelves

Have you ever had an old dresser that just didn't function well as a dresser any more? We had one where the drawers wouldn't slide well, and it looked a bit disheveled even with the drawers in a closed position. At the same time, I needed some shelves in two of the bedrooms in our cabin. I didn't want them to be just ordinary shelves -- something different. So, one day as I was gazing at that old dresser (that was being used as a TV stand in our exercise room), I had a crazy idea. What if I took those drawers out, painted them, and used them as shelves at the cabin? 

It was the perfect fix, and so easy!  I just painted them with one coat of Kilz (love, love, love), and then painted them in the final colors that I wanted. I distressed them a bit with my sander to finish them off and help them look "cabin-y". They are plenty deep, and not too large, and you can put things both inside and on top. Plus I love the little dresser knobs at the bottom. Its like they were built just for this purpose!

And I even have some ideas for the old skeleton of a dresser that is left. Its still proudly acting as a TV stand in our exercise room, but wait until I get my hands on it... and when I say "my hands", I really mean "Bob's and my hands".

Magnificent Bull Moose

We went to the cabin last Friday and Saturday, and on our end of the day ride, we bumped into this magnificent bull moose. He was gigantic, and unafraid of us. We turned the engine off and just sat and watched as he ate, rubbed his antlers on the trees, and ambled across the road in front of us.

At one point, he decided to run up the hill, and it looked like he was just barely jogging, but his strides were huge, and he was up and across the hill with almost no effort at all. One of my favorite things about going up to the cabin is the animal watching... and being with my family... and relaxing... and eating... and hiking... and laying around... and breathing deep, long, clean breaths... and going on rides... and being with Bob... (all in no particular order)

Winter break at the cabin!

A couple of days after Christmas, we headed up to the cabin for a couple of nights. The kids came and went as their schedules allowed, and we LOVED having the time up there together. It felt like we were thousands of miles away from the hustle and bustle. Just exactly what we needed!

This is a rare sighting for us... two moose just laying in the snow. In fact, we've never seen moose in the middle of winter, so this was pretty great to see!

Some of the family like to ride the snowmobiles, and all of us like to snowshoe. Its such a great workout, and there is nothing like having a great workout in pure, crisp mountain air. I love it!

Mike and Whitney
(Whitney is 8-1/2 months pregnant!)

I think this next photo will end all discussion as to why I don't wear hats...

Bob and I

Mike, Robbie, Rachel, Bob, Caitlin, Logan

Mike and Robbie

Bob and Rachel

Rachel and Robbie
Caitlin and Logan

We had lots of snow to play in, and it snowed even more while we were there. We sortof hated to head back down the hill towards home and "real life", but it was wonderful while it lasted!

Now that I'm home, I need to start thinking about taking all the Christmas decorations down. Tomorrow we'll work on getting the tree down (I hope)!