Family Reunions

I have to admit I love family reunions. While they may not have had the same appeal as a kid as they do now, I think I've always been fond of spending time around family, both immediate and extended. This week my immediate family will get together for our annual family reunion. Doing this is quite as feat as there are 11 of us kids, seven of which are married, with 24 grandkids and one on the way. That means there are over 40 people converging on one house (well some will sleep the night in a hotel nearby) to eat, play, laugh, swim, and talk, talk, TALK! One year my oldest sister, always the one with stupendous ideas, decided we needed this one time a year when we could all get together, so she hosted the first annual reunion. She planned it to the T complete with a talent show, scrumptious food (much was homemade), a kids Olympics, and an adult Olympics. Each year, many of these things have become tradition, with each family putting their own twist on things. When we went to the Pharmacist's house, one of the "Olympic" events was using an old beaker to pour water into another beaker. (I think I might have gotten 3 drops in. It definitely requires a steady hand). This year will be no different. We get to go to Southern California, and partake of the beautiful summer weather there. We will have a beach day, a sort of Hollywood day (we'll be doing other things around there, but we're all looking forward to family pics in front of the Hollywood sign) and a lazier day where we'll get to hang out at the house and swim. Like I said totally summer activities. But my personal favorite that I absolutely can't wait for is the visiting. I'm a talker and I can talk. But then, so can all my siblings and parents. The in-laws are getting better and just jumping in, but sometimes they have to take a break because we can be pretty intense. (I just have to give a shout out to any of my brothers in-law who may be reading. We'll try not to go over all the labor and delivery stories again this year. That's a tradition I know they could all do without. But with somebody pregnant each time, who can resist, right?) Anyway, I can't wait to be with my family. This week is going to be AWESOME!!!!! I'll let you know how it goes when I get back...