We had a family reunion for my Dad's side of the family at my parents' house this past weekend and the weather couldn't have been more perfect! We spent the day on the lake boating, tubing, kayaking, swimming, riding the jet skis and more. We ate WAY too much food and shared many laughs and stories. It's not often we all get together so it was definitely a special day. It made me realize that I really should make more time in my life for the people who make me so happy. My dad has three brothers and all of their families came as well as three of my Dad's cousins and their families. My Grandma was there too of course and her brother in law.
This is me on the jet ski with my two 2nd cousins Caleb and Connor. Aren't they adorable! We had just gotten back from a ride on the lake where these little thrill seekers had the time of their life! I love that all my little cousins are so brave! They love swimming and being in the water which I think is so cool because that's how I was raised.
Next up pictured left to right is my Uncle Stu (my Dad's brother), his wife my Aunt Liz, my Dad's cousin-in-law Bob, my cousin Courtney and her husband Don. It was so great having them all out and getting to show them around the lake, share stories and of course eat way too much! Bob plays in a couple bands so it was really cool hearing him and my Aunt Liz talk about all the super old music they both still know and love. Next time we told Bob he definitely has to bring his guitar!
My Grandma Winnie is on the far right in red, in the middle is my cousin Tiffany, the oldest grandchild, and on the left is my Grandma's brother-in-law Paul. Unfortunately my Grandma's sister Judy passed away a few years ago after a hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. We miss her tons and she would have had an amazing time out at the house chatting with everyone as she loved to chat! Although my Grandma doesn't seem happy I promise you she was. While the rest of us were sweating all day, the temperature was finally warm enough for her!
Now let's see if you can tell where I am in this picture? In case you're having a hard time I'm second from the left in grey! These are my three cousins who are all sisters. Courtney on the left and Kara on the right are twins and Tiffany in the black dress is their older sister. I was often called the "4th sister" because so many people thought I was we looked so much alike growing up. I always considered that to be a major compliment because they are beautiful both on the inside and out. It makes sense we'd look alike because their Dad is my Dad's brother and the two of them look a lot alike! I've shared some of the best times with them and their families. Although we don't get to see each other all that often any time we get together it's like we've never been a part.
Last but certainly not least is my Dad with a bunch of my second cousins (kids to my cousins above)! My Aunt Deb (their Grandma) makes the most amazing rice crispy treats. My Dad LOVES them so she always makes him his own personal batch that she hides from everyone else. Well he made the mistake of eating some in front of these kids and it was hilarious to see them swarm in wanting some! It was really cute to see him break off a little for each kid. I was literally cracking up and just had to snap this picture. There's one thing you can say about our family, we're good eaters!
The one picture I'm so bummed I didn't take was a whole group picture. As I mentioned, it's not often the entire extended family gets together like this and I would have loved to have a big group photo. I'm not sure when we'll all be together again but if there's one thing I learned from this past week, it's that we need to make more time to see each other and hire a photographer to grab all these shots!
Thank you so much for checking out my pictures and I hope I did my family justice as they're all amazing people. I also hope you get to spend more time with your loved ones to enjoy them while we still can!