Family Reunion '11

In the summer of 2010 my sister Sh hosted our family reunion. Looking ahead to the summer of 2011 I couldn't foresee any big plans (HA!) and thus volunteered to host this year. Little did I know then that it would be the busiest summer of my life.

I wouldn't change a thing, however. I was really pleased with the reunion and how it turned out. My only regret was the limited photo documentation I accomplished. I was just too busy to take many pictures!

Our reunion opener was a big luau.

Don't I look like a genie coming out of the fruit?

I tried my darnedest to make sure the food was authentic, and I think it turned out really well. The "meat bees" (wasps) were particularly fond of the Kaluah pork. We had to be brave and fight them for it (or make our husbands do it, right K?).

We all dressed up in our best Hawaiian garb, and everyone got a name tag with their name translated into Hawaiian.

I felt bad that I didn't have any island-y shirt for R to wear so we compromised with a polynesian "tattoo" instead. It was a hit.

Guests arrived throughout the evening greeted by food, Hawaiian music, tiki torches and a host of smiling faces.

That blonde is my brother's new daughter-in-law.

A very floral bunch.

With my limited resources I really tried to create a "mood." I don't know what everyone else thought of it, but I was pleased.

Here is the clan all together. We missed my brother, RoTC, and his family, but other than that we're a pretty complete set (aside from a couple of missionaries and a few cousins who couldn't make it).

We chatted and played games into the night. W, of course, tried to coax E into some loves. It took a few tries, but she not only eventually gave him snuggles, but brought a blanket for him from her own bed. W was nursing some sun-burned feet from the previous day. We had had a fun day of water-skiing (I've still got it!) but that one oversight produced a weekend of pain for my poor brother. It wouldn't have been too big of a deal, probably, if he hadn't had to squeeze his feet into dress shoes and stand around at his son's wedding reception.

Everyone retired to their hotels or borrowed beds and we met up the next morning. Out-of-towners visited the local copper mine (quite a sight to see) while I spent the morning doing food prep.

After lunch, we embarked on a Minute-To-Win-It adventure. We played several games, about half of which are actually showcased:

B shows us some serious Elephant Walk skills.

My dad earned his pachyderm patriarchy and kicked all our butts!

Hanger balancing.

Tea bag flipping.

When my niece started the game where she had to get the pennies out of the panty hose without letting her hands touch each other, someone shouted, "Your bracelet!" to which she responded, "It won't be a problem." 55 seconds later, as the hose were stuck on her bracelet, she was wishing she'd listened.

We took a few photos and then everyone vamoosed to the wedding reception of W's oldest son.

(Of whom, stupidly, I don't even have any photos.)

Me and my siblings, minus one:

With Mom and Dad:

The weather was accommodating, only choosing to rain hard while we were at the wedding reception.

Highlights of that night were trying to ignore my nephew who tried to lead us all astray while we played Word on the Street and watching my sister master the cow milking game on her iphone.

We arose the next morning, went to church and worked on all the leftovers afterward. Family slowly trickled off to rendezvous with freeways and airports throughout the evening. It was a lovely time and I'm very grateful to everyone who made the effort to be there.

So who's hosting next?