My Family is Amazing!

When my grandmother died last year, my family decided we needed a family reunion.  And the place, of course, had to be at the condo my grandparents owned on the Oregon Coast.  So in September, we all schlepped from all over the country to be together.  Even though some of us could only be there for less than 24 hours, it was amazing to see everyone.

I am so thankful for the legacy of family that my grandparents passed on to all of us.  I am grateful for the unconditional love I feel from and for all of my aunts and uncles and cousins.  And I am grateful for the sacrifice of time and resources that everyone was willing and able to make in order to have a reunion at all.  The older I get, I realize how truly unique and special our family is.  And full of amazing people!  As Aunt Janene said, "There's not a klinker in the bunch!"

We always have great fun together, and since we spent so much family time at this beautiful place on the edge of the earth while we were growing up, we all had great memories to share and revel in.  Meeting at the old Mo's for clam chowder and marionberry cobbler was the first time we all saw each other.

Walking back with my brother and his family was a highlight.

We also had a big bonfire and roasted hot dogs in the evening, followed of course, by s'mores and some rowdy kazoo playing.  "Smoke follows beauty" was the theme of the night.  And the great t-shirts my aunt had made were terrific.  When people were wearing them, we could easily spot them on the beach and around the condo and knew they were part of us!

We also took some cousins and went up to Depoe Bay to have fish and chips and walk the shops.  I am so glad Adam and Andrea wanted to spend time with us.  We love them so much!

One of my favorite memories at the beach was going out when the tide was low and exploring the tide pools.      So of course, we had to have beach time with the kids.  And more cousins showed up.  It wouldn't be a beach trip without seeing and touching the starfish.

In the evening, we had another perfect and non-windy evening out on the lawn overlooking the sunset and the ocean.  Dinner, a fabulous "Grandma and Grandpa Trivia Game" designed by Jessica and Christina, and then more silliness.

I truly cannot thank everyone enough for the time you spent with me and my kids.  It means the world to me.  And while I don't have pictures for some reason, I have to mention Aunt Janene and "The Little Store" that kept us all overly stocked in old-fashioned candy.  And I'm pretty sure Uncle Ken ran off with the all the licorice thingies!

What a great week!  When are we doing it again???