Family Reunion

Whew!  I made it.  Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and my family had a great time too.  I'm sure there are a lot of reasons why this year seemed less stressful (my children are getting older and more independent, we're getting more comfortable with this reunion location after three consecutive years, we've modified our travel arrangements to take the edge off).  But I'd like to believe that meditation and being intentional about being in the moment played a huge role in my own attitude this weekend.

To help paint the picture, I thought I would share some statistics.

The family began with my mother-in-law's grandparents, who had some large number of kids (I can't remember).  Those kids vowed they would stay connected - no matter what.  So, mother-in-law's mother (we'll call her Grandma K) hosted a reunion at her home for many years.  When she passed away, her children took over the tradition.  Each year for the last fourteen, all the K descendants have spent the weekend at a variety of state parks - sleeping in cabins, staying up late, chatting with cousins, aunts, and uncles, eating, playing, eating around campfires, staying up late, and eating some more.

Here's where things get a little more complicated.  My mother-in-law has seven children (my husband falls #5 in the mix) and each have spouses and children of their own.  So, in total there is the possibility that 26 of us would attend this larger family reunion.  My mother-in-law is one of six (only four of whom are still living) and all of those siblings have children with children.  That's 28 more belonging to Grandma K alone.

We ARE a big family!

This year, we decided to cut back . . . sort of.  In two cabins, we slept and fed 14 adults and 13 children, ranging in age from 3 1/2 to 17.  

2 cabins

1 tent

5 air mattresses

2 couches

2 chairs pushed together

8 beds

3 large tables

14 chairs

2 shifts per meal

It looked something like this:

 

No matter how packed we are, the most anticipated part of the weekend is the annual water fight.  Preparations began Friday night and the war began Saturday evening.  This water fight gets a little intense, so even those of us adamantly opposed to guns must let go of her beliefs in the name of fun!

There were a few quiet moments too.

And a breath-taking hike which I'll share more about this week.

What I've learned about this trip, as the outsider loosely connected to the fold, is that my children matter at this event.  And for that reason, all stress and introverted tendencies aside, this weekend matters - no matter what.