Our Big Fat American Family Reunion

The week before our mini-family reunion was my extended family's BIG family reunion. We were missing two of my 10 siblings and their families (12 people) plus my son who was still on his mission and not everyone was there the whole time. But by the end of the reunion there were 60 of us there. We stayed in a house near Bear Lake just over the border of Utah in Idaho. We all took turns cooking the meals. We had fun games called "Undokai" which is a Japanese word my sister-in-law gave us. We had a talent show, a testimony meeting, and an outing to the ice caves. We also rented some canoes, a kayak, a paddleboard, and two jet skis and had a day at the beach. Unfortunately my brother broke his leg halfway through that day in a freak accident on the beach. But we were all able to help him get to the hospital and get the care he needed. Despite that, it was a good reunion.

Getting ready for Undokai. Everett and cousin Anna were in charge. There were four teams.

This competition involved removing wrappers from Starburst with gloves on. Talmage is working hard.

Susanna getting the wrapper off

Cousin Will with Melanie coaching and Kent filming.

Cousin Clyn and SIL Melanie

My brother doing the tango with his wife at the talent show before he broke his leg.

My cute grandson

Cousin Thys

Trying to take a family picture of the whole group.

We're missing my dad and SIL in this picture because they were setting up cameras. Sadly the pictures with the whole group turned out blurry.

Mom and Dad

The view at breakfast: Talmage, Clyn, Abbie, Faith, Hope, Martha, Mika, Miles, Mindy

The other side of the table: Scott, Camille, Charlotte, Max, Will, Lukas, Drew.

Comments

Visiting Susquehanna: The Priesthood Restoration Site

On our way home from Palmyra, we decided to go a couple of hours out of our way to visit the recently opened Priesthood Restoration Site along the Susquehanna River. This is where we believe that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist which gave them the authority to baptize. This site also has the restored Isaac and Elizabeth Hale home where Joseph and Emma lived for a year as well as the home where Joseph and Emma lived on their own. We spent a couple of hours there and I wouldn't have minded a few more minutes but we had a long way to go that night. It's a beautiful setting, very much in rural Pennsylvania. However, on the day we were there, cars at a racetrack nearby were detracting from the peace and quiet. I'm guessing that's not as big of a problem on weekdays. The Hale Family was quite well-off for their day so their home was probably nicely decorated with wallpaper and carpet. ...

Book Review: Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

This is a juvenile fiction book about a young girl named Melody with severe cerebral palsy. Her body doesn't allow her to feed herself, speak, or do much at all. She's very intelligent with a photographic memory but she can't really communicate. Finally, in 5th grade, she gets a "Medi-Talker" which is a computer that speaks what she types in. Finally she has a voice. This book explores what it is like to be severely physically disabled but not mentally disabled. It seems like one of the most frustrating of all scenarios. She is completely aware of all the cruelty (subtle and otherwise) that her classmates inflict on her because they don't really want to include her in their activities. One of the saddest moments in the book comes when she realizes that every one of her special ed classmates is kind, where the "normal" ones are not. Who really has the worse disability? The book was a quick read and fairly enjoyable. Wha...

Hansen Family Plot in the Provo Cemetery

On Memorial Day this year, our family went to the Provo Cemetery, as we do almost every year. We spent some time at the Hansen Family plot which contains the grave of my 2nd great-grandparents, Peter and Mary Hansen. They both emigrated from Denmark with their spouses to Utah. My grandfather lost his first wife Ane to cholera on the plains outside of St. Joseph, Missouri, along with three of his little boys within a very short time--about one month. It's a sad story but it's also one of admirable resilience. He brought his one surviving son, Jorgen, to Utah. He married his second wife Maren (Anglicized to Mary) some 9 years later in Utah She had been married before but lost her first husband at an unknown date. I wish I knew more about her but she left very few records, although I could do more research! Peter and Maren had 6 more children together. The youngest two were twins, Enoch and Ephraim. Ephraim is my great-grandfather and is buried in California. He is the father of ...

Search This Blog