Fourth of July family reunion

Fourth of July weekend, my extended family got together for our first family reunion in about 12 years. We had a pretty good reason to celebrate: my grandma turned 90 years old! So, we thought it would be fun to all get together and spend some time with her and each other. The amazing thing is that every single one of her kids and grandkids came. We missed some of the spouses and great-grands, but it was a large group anyway!

My mom and aunts did a great job organizing this trip. We decided early on to congregate in Bear Lake, UT, and each of the four families had a condo. The Smyth contingent is still fairly small, so there were enough beds for each of us, but some families had kids and dads sleeping on the floor. Each family also took charge of feeding dinner to the extended group one time -- a big job, but a great excuse for us all to blend together and talk!

Oh, notice we're wearing matching t-shirts? My talented brother Dave designed them and every person received one. Most of us wore them pretty much the entire four days we were there :) This is what the front looks like:

The back has a tree graphic, and details of the trip, like the date and location

We had plenty of activities planned. One of the highlights was Sunday dinner: birthday cake, tribute to Gram (complete with video of Gram sharing her story and photos, and quite a few of us sharing thoughts about her), and a talent/untalent show. Let's just say, there was a LOT of laughing going on that day!

Happy birthday, Gram!

I was not the only one to put the star confetti on my forehead --
lots of "star-headed Sneetches" that day!

The G-child singing the Preamble to the Constitution -- impressive!

Ravel's Bolero -- one of Gram's favorites

Mom's impromptu kazoo band

A Hans and Franz-type skit

In My Life (I Love You More)

We also got dressed up and took an extended family photo (that we probably won't see for awhile, since one of the professional photographers in our family is probably still photoshopping) and went to church together. It was nice to see everyone looking their best!

I'm still sad that I didn't feel well that evening. I missed most of the Minute-to-Win-it games, and didn't take any photos. There were multiple photographers -- hopefully one of them posts photos soon (hint, hint, family blog-stalkers).

The next morning was a full day at the beach. We had a couple of boats for waterskiing, tubing, and wakeboarding. My nephew even successfully skiied for the first time! I chose to stay on the beach, and I'm glad I did 'cause I got to witness our family's first ever Try-athalon, organized by my brilliant brother Aaron:

Cycling -- the 5 year old in front schooled everyone during both races!
(Love the sucker sticking out of his mouth.)

Running

Swimming, which proved to be a challenge 'cause the water was so shallow you had to wade quite a few yards out before swimming was an effective option.

Like I said, I chose to sit on the beach... mostly in the shade. It's one of the few times this year I'll get to wear a swimsuit and just relax with a book, so I took advantage! The coolest spot to hang out, though, was under the big tent. After not very long, a group moved their chairs into a circle under it to talk. People came in and out, but we had fun continuing to catch up!

After a long, sunny day, wherein a LOT of people got sunburned (I, miraculously, did not), my aunt had a brilliant idea: Candy catapults!!

Each child got a gallon-sized plastic baggy, and we had 2 teams of 3-man catapults hurl candy for those kids to find. It was way, way better than a pinata, 'cause so many people got to play at once!

(Note: I am aware that these gadgets are actually slingshots, but we all know I like alliteration, and "sweetie slingers" doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it? Second note: I'm copyrighting the term "sweetie slingers.")

And, as often happens at these things, the catapultists soon started chucking water balloons at everyone. The players grabbed towels to try to catch the water bombs -- the prize was to be able to huck the balloons back at the catapult-operators -- but you can imagine that a LOT of people got wet!

To end a really good day, there was a massive soccer game,

Raspberry shakes from La Beaus (we went back the next day, too)

And a small game of Ticket to Ride, played late into the night. I thought I had a shot at winning, and then Dave pulled out about 7 destination cards, all of which he managed to complete. He slaughtered the rest of us by about 80 points. Well played, bro!

My nephew and I played on a team and got third place. Not too embarrassing!

The last morning of the trip, most of the group hiked to the Minnetonka Cave. I stayed behind to help Mom clean up the condo, and play at the pool with Dad and my nieces.

Pastels and potato chips -- one of my favorite photos of the trip!

We had lunch at one of the condos (after the rest of us had checked out), said our good-byes, and really quickly the trip ended! It was anticlimactic, but it was a positive ending, for once :-D

I am very lucky to have the family I do. I am related to some of the nicest, most generous, funny, smart people I know, and it was awesome to spend those four days with them. I hope that we don't wait another 12 years to see each other again. One thing I learned is that I like having these people in my life. I hope all those little kids grow up to be as amazing as their parents, grandparents, and great-grandma!

Happy birthday, Gram! Thank you so much for giving us an excuse to get together, for being such a wonderful example of the kind of woman I want to be, for raising the perfect mom for me, for being my friend, and for loving me! I love you dearly, and I hope you had a great time at your birthday party!