Top Ten: Family Reunion!

The last time I saw all the fam together on my dad’s side I was {ahem} WILL’S AGE!!  We cannot wait to do this again.  Oh my.  Lots of laughs, lots of hugs, lots of smiles, lots of pictures, lots of stories.  Teeny bit of tears.  In honor of a really great weekend, here is this week’s…

TOP TEN:  FAMILY REUNION MEMORIES
(All these fantastic photos are compliments of our reunion photographer, Amber Overton!)

1.  Having Lori and Lukas crash at our pad.  Lori and I are just a few months apart in age and we had a blast when we were together.  I believe it was at “Camp Lou’s” (my Aunt Mary Lou’s weeklong cousin’s camp) that we first decided it would be a good idea to shave our legs.  Without our mom’s permission.  I just remember MLou saying, “If you think your mom’s are ok with it, I am.  Just remember, though, once you start shaving you can never stop.”  So, if you’re 11, what we heard was:  “Shave away!!  You’ll never get in trouble.”  Now that I’ve taken you down memory lane, it was great to catch up with Lori and her amazingly smart (for reals, people, like genius smart) 10-year-old.  The kid understands quantum physics.  Anyhoodle, the boys had a blast breaking Lukas into ‘sibling rivalry’ and his mom and I had a grand time reminiscing about the good ‘ol days.  Poor Scott 🙂

2.  Seeing my dad and his siblings together.  For one, they all look alike.  Scary.  Two, my dad and his younger brother are scary identical – in looks, laughs and mannerisms.  It’s like looking in a mirror with those two.  Only one sister was missing – my Aunt Judy Kay died 12 years ago (way too young).  But, we were blessed to have both her girls and their families there to join us.  Each sibling has a wonderful life story and I’m honored to call them aunts and uncle.  A mighty fine looking bunch.

3.  Looking around my living room on Friday night (the party got started here – oh yeah) and seeing just about every family member I love in one place.  It was a pretty incredible sight.

4.  Meeting relatives I don’t remember.  My grandfather had a brother and a sister and my grandmother had a sister – almost all of those cousins were here, too.  Wow.

5.  The family auction.  My Aunt Ava Jo and her husband’s family do this at their annual reunion to help offset the cost.  I don’t think any of us realized how funny and touching that hour of bidding would be.  My brother was the auctioneer – heelarious.  All the items auctioned off were a smattering of family heirlooms, something made, something bought, new stuff, old stuff and everything in between.

7.  My new “brother.”  On Friday night, one of those relatives we’d never met walked in the door and gave my dad a big hug.  When my Uncle Dee walked up, she commented, “Oh, and this must be your son.”  Oops.  We laughed non-stop for five minutes.

8.  Games of chickenfoot.  This domino game was a crowd pleaser and the kids totally kicked our tails.

9.  Watching all the “greats” play with one another.  In all, there are ten – 5 girls and 5 boys.  My Granny Mary only met 5.  Surely, as she looked down from heaven she was all smiles watching them play together.

10.  The family history.  My grandfather was a jeweler by trade and became a master watchmaker.  Yes, in our family, instead of “Seiko” or “Timex”, our watches all proudly proclaim our family name:  “Farnum.”  My uncle took over the family business and moved from Pecos to El Paso.  He and my Aunt Betty do stunning work.  You know, so if you’re ever in need of an engagement ring, some cufflinks or that one-of-a-kind jewelry piece, they’re on it.  The creativity, tenacity and smarts in our family is pretty awesome to witness.

The idea for this “reunion” was born shortly after my Granny Mary died in January.  When many of the family gathered in Pecos for her memorial service, they decided we needed to get together.  And gather we did.  Oh man.  There were many moments throughout the weekend when I thought, “Granny would’ve loved this.”

Thanks for the memories…until we meet again in 2012!