I attended 2 years of Ricks College and loved just about every moment. There were some moments at 7:00 a.m. when it was dark and very, very cold that I didn't love it but then I would turn off my alarm, curl up in my fuzzy blanket and by 10:00 a.m., I loved it again. When I left though, I thought I had said good-bye forever. I couldn't fathom why I would ever be back.
Apparently my imagination just wasn't big enough.
Several years later I would be headed back to Idaho to meet Chris' family. And I have to say I fell in love all over again. I am very, very lucky that I married into this family. They are amazing people that never fail to make me feel loved...and very happy.
This last month we all gathered together to celebrate the beginning of this family that happened 50 years ago. And gathering this family is no small feat...there are 9 children, 8 spouses, one boyfriend, and lots of grandchildren. One of the grandchildren was 4 weeks old, one sister-in-law had a C-section 4 weeks ago, another sister-in-law flew in from Guatemala, and we desperately missed our 5 missionary boys! (They are spread to the 4 corners...Phillipines, Japan, Romania, California, and soon to be France.)
The family reunion began with a beautiful garden reception. My amazing sister assisted in much of the planning and all of the catering. It was elegant, delicious, and exquisitely lovely! The colors were yellow & white with a healthy sprinkling of yellow & white daisies...all memories from a wedding reception 50 years ago.
All the relatives came...even the really strange ones!
One of my uber talented sister-in-laws whipped up 2 beautiful yellow silk dresses for the 2 youngest girls...those dresses made them feel fancy and beautiful all night long!
Oh how I love that face!
The "big" girls all wore white dresses with yellow sashes. Oh how I adore these nieces of mine! They are the most beautiful, fun, creative, strong young women I know. I love each of them dearly.
I love their individual personalities and imaginations!
My nephews are equally handsome,charming, adventurous and creative. And believe it or not, nobody posed them for these pictures. I simply asked if I could take their picture and this is what I got! Aren't they clever?
It was the perfect way to begin a family celebration!
The next day, the whole family gathered again to eat lots of leftovers and to witness the blessing of my newest nephew.
Monday morning, the family took off for the next portion of the family reunion...the part that involved climbing, hiking, swimming, swinging, lounging, eating, and playing. We drove to an amazing place in Utah and began a non-stop, fun filled, no sleep 4 days of adventure!
Here is hoping for 50 more years of this kind of happy!
Thank you for an amazing week! Let's do it again real soon...
