Family Reunion

This past weekend, I got to got to my Mom's paternal side of the family, Reunion. I took Daniel and Sam with me. I had to work Friday morning. It was a fairly heavy day, but I got home a bit after 10. The boys set to loading the car, while I jumped on the treadmill and HIT MY GOAL! 150 miles! YAY!

We were on the road shortly after 11:00 am. The boys checked out the audio book from the Redwall Series, EULALIA as we drove. We arrived shortly before 3 in the afternoon.

Dan and Sam were dispatched with some random male relative to retrieve chairs and tables. Mom and I said our hello's and got hugs... then we went to the campground to set up our camp. Niece Tammy had set up her tent earlier in the day, selecting a nice area with several camp pads, as we were coming later, as was Becky. We go to the campground to see that Tammy's site had been encroached. Someone had literally begun setting up tents all around hers, ignoring the tent pads. They were between her tent and the picnic table designated for her site, they had tents backed up against hers. Rather than argue, she picked up her tent and we moved to another place. We got our camp set up, and returned to the lodge to visit.

Later in the afternoon, Tammy and I made a run to town for camping supplies that had been inadvertently left behind. We were still looking for my son Bill and his family. The cell phone rang just as we reached town. It was Bill! He was at a gas station in town and needed directions to the lodge. We happened to be at the intersection where the gas station was located just at that instant! So we turned into the gas station and met up with Bill, Glynna, and Nickole. Then we all went together and got our store items. Bill and Glynna checked in to their motel, and we all headed out to the Deer Creek Resort Lodge.

Becky was reached by phone... it was after 4 in the afternoon, and she had just found out that her husband Stephen was not going to be able to come with her. So she set out with her two children for a nine hour drive in the dark. Just as it began to get dark, we left our folks at the Lodge and went to camp. Tammy and I visited, sharing a bottle of white wine. Dan and Sam made s'mores. We spoke to Becky a few times, but the phones had pretty bad reception. The twins elected to stay awake and wait for Becky. I expected that she would need to stop and rest along the way, so I didn't stay up.

About 3 am, Becky arrived. I got my shoes on and got out of the tent. She handed me Kimber and went back to the truck for blankets. Kimber had not seen me since June. It is 3 am, dark, cold, and her Mommy just handed her to a relative stranger in the woods and ran off into the night. Poor baby probably thought she was being sold to gypsies!

Becky decided to sleep in Tammy's larger tent, rather than struggle to set up her own in the night. The real morning arrived soon. I got up, forgetting my glasses in the tent. Becky handed me Kimber, asking me to hold her under my jacket while she got her some clothes. I sat down by the fire, and asked Sam to get the coffee pot on the fire, with hot water in it. Sam complied. I told Dan to do something.... Becky came back. She and the twins began snickering about something. When I asked, "What am I missing, what is so funny?" They all burst into laughter. I suddenly noticed I had THREE twins. The Sam that I had ordered to start the hot water was TOMMY! He had come with Becky!

So I now had five of my seven kids at the reunion.
There are pictures up at Moocrew2.