Family Ties . . .

Here is a not-so-brief run down of our reunion.

We spent 2 nights at Lava Hot Springs in Eastern Idaho for the Wynn Family Reunion. The "Wynn" refers to my Great- Grandparents, Jack and Pearl Wynn, on my mom's side. They had 10 children, 7 that lived to have children of their own. That adds up to a lot of Wynn's! The reunion was started to honor Jack and Pearl and to hand down the stories of their life in Oklahoma and their trek west to Blackfoot, Idaho. (It is quite a story and one I would have to tell in person.) It was the 30th year of this gathering. I have probably attended nearly 20 of them. Eric's first one was the summer of 1994, the year we got engaged. He was a big hit--they loved him! He was unable to go to a few and the family always asked me where he was--before they asked how I was! Luckily, he was with us this year. I mean, someone had to drive the big rig, right?

Anyway, the favorite event for our family is Kid's Night. On Saturday afternoon everyone gathers to watch the kids play games and do crafts. There is food for sale(hot dogs, brats, nachos, and this year, Frito Pie!) and a raffle of kid friendly items. It is kind of like a school carnival, but much smaller and more fun! The cousins in charge of the festivities also added a few games to include the adults. A picture booth was set up this year. You could dress up in an assortment of rockin' fashions and have your picture taken. My mother, the "red" haired rocker on the left, was joined by her favorite cousin, Wreatha, wearing the cowboy hat, and a member of the younger cousins, Morgan. I was helping out at the sand necklace and bracelet making table so I conveniently missed my opportunity to "ROCK ON!" I will definitley enjoy the shot of my mom, though. The pictures of Katy and Emma with the crazy "hats" on are from a game where a group of cousins had to blow up 12 balloons and stuff them into the legs of a pair of nylons. Katy was chosen in her group to do the running around. It was pretty hysterical, really! The other picture was one that Eric took while Katy and Emma were checking out the Portneuf River running behind our campsite. I thought it was a cute shot.

One of the other highlights of the gathering is the potluck/auction on Sunday. The potluck is self explanatory. The "Reunion" buys the rolls and meat, usually fried chicken, ham and shredded barbecued beef. Family members supply various salads and desserts and there always ends up being quite a selection. It all took up about 5 standard picnic tables. Crazy amounts of food, trust me! Many years back, using a regular paper plate was deemed rather insufficient for the quantities of food people wanted to eat. You should see the "plates" some attendees bring. They are something short of plastic turkey platters. Seriously! The reasoning is that if you don't get it the first time through the line, there won't be anything left for the seconds.

The auction commences after the food frenzy. Family members are encouraged to bring items that they have made, in order to show everyone how talented we all are. Select items are raffled and the rest are auctioned off. This is how the reunion makes its money. It helps to pay for the picnic pavilion/common area, Kid's Night, and the supplied food. (Individual families pay for their own accommodations, be it a campsite or vacation rental.) It is fun to watch family members bid for what is most appealing to them. We bought a necklace/bracelet set for Katy and a framed dry erase board for Emma. Some people like to run the bids up and it is pretty fun to watch. When someone really wants a particular item, it can get a bit heated.

Good memories are had by all! It ends up being a weekend well-spent getting to know our extended family.

Oops!

Sorry about the text next to the pictures on the last post.  You have to scroll down to read the rest of it.   I can't figure out how to fix it!  

Scenes from a 5 day camping trip . . .

Here are a few photos from our trip. The first 2 days were spent at my family reunion held at Lava Hot Springs in Eastern Idaho. The final 3 days were spent at Redfish Lake.  I am up to my ears in laundry so I will fill it all in when I get a minute.  (Oh,  please don't tell my Mom that I published this photo of her--she was having too much fun and I could not resist!  I'll explain the reunion pictures when I write again.)   

Real Idahoans!

The lovely potatoes you see have been harvested from our garden.  Truly a "bumper" crop, don't you think?  (What exactly constitutes a "bumper" crop, I do not know, but I like the way it sounds!)  We were so excited to have actually succeeded.  I think that it might be a little known requirement used to weed out the not-so-Idahoans in the state.  You must be official if you can grow potatoes!   We will never overtake the J. R. Simplot Company as the state potato magnate, but lookout, we are just getting started!!!     

By the way, the picture shows the entire amount we harvested.  The largest potato in the crop was slightly larger than a golf ball.  We hope to have a more prolific harvest next summer.      

It Happened in Sun Valley!

I met Eric twenty-three years ago today.  We met while working for the Sun Valley Company, I as a maid and Eric as a cook.  He was recruited from the community college he attended in Washington and I was on summer break from Idaho State University in Pocatello.  We lived in the employee dorms on the resort property.  My dorm was next to his.  I think mine was called "Idaho" and his was "Boise."  Anyway, my dorm common room was always full of noisy girls.  The building Eric stayed in was usually deserted so I had started hanging out in their TV room for some peace and quiet.  He walked out of his room on the afternoon of July 3rd, on his way to the Ore House (yep, that was the name--it had a mining theme) to join a few guys for a drink.  Not sure why he asked me along and Eric does not really recall either.  I also do not remember what prompted me to accept his offer, but I did.  

We spent time wandering around the Sun Valley/Ketchum area getting to know each other.  I used to meet him at his work, Chez Pablo, before his shift ended.  He made nachos and fried ice cream for me.  A man truly after my heart!  Near the end of that summer, Eric took me to Sunday brunch at the Lodge Dining Room.  Talk about fancy.  We actually had to dress up!  We had a great time for those few months.  

He had to head back to Washington a few weeks before I went back to Pocatello.  We swapped phone numbers and addresses and went our separate ways.  Eric claims he liked me a lot, but was wise enough to realize that at 19, I had not really been too active in the dating scene.  He knew I had several years ahead of me at ISU and that I needed time to get my "grown-up" self together.  Pretty smart guy, I think!  We kept in touch, sometimes only a once or twice a year phone call.   He did his thing--I did mine.  We just always knew where to find each other. Several years later,  Eric took a chance and looked me up in Salt Lake City.   It took a few more years, but we finally made our paths cross for good.  And after 14 years of marriage, we still like to say, "It happened in Sun Valley."