"Another Family Reunion..."

2013 is another big year for our extended family...

 

After graduating from college and touring Japan for an art show, and volunteering on an eco-farm in Hawaii, my sisters' daughter moved from San Francisco to Portland with her b/f to start her new life.  Her brother graduated from high school, and from Sacramento, is also moving to Portland to start college in the fall.  My brother's son graduated from high school in Winter Park and is also starting college in the fall in Central Florida.  His sister has narrowed her college choices to a few out of Florida colleges for next year.  Time is passing so quickly...

 

We decided to have a family reunion before everyone spread out even further...A "confirmed cruiser" I had investigated a family cruise for eighteen to Alaska.  Meanwhile, my youngest brother suggested renting two homes at New Smyrna Beach, near Orlando and Daytona. He found a three-story oceanfront home and I found a three-story ocean to intracoastal waterway pool home, separated by less than a quarter mile. 

 

My mother, and I drove 2.5 hours from Palm Beach County; my next brother drove 3.5 hours from Fort Lauderdale; my sister, her spouse and their son flew from Sacramento; their daughter and her b/f flew from Portland via a wedding in Los Angles to Orlando airport ; my youngest brother, spouse, their son, his g/f and her parents and his buddies, and daughter and her g/f, his mother, father, and brother-in-laws drove 1 hour from Winter Park; my cousins flew from Atlanta; and a couple of other families also drove...altogether approximately 30 people spanning 65 years of age arrived at the beach rentals during the week!

 

Our Mom was "beaming"!!!   My sister has become quite a photographer and took over 900 photos to record the reunion!

 

My sister-in-law and I shopped "sales" for a few weeks before the trip to amass food and household supplies, and still some of us were driving daily the six miles to the nearest grocery.  Meals seemed to be continuous from 6:30 AM to midnight!  We stair-climbed (3 stories in each house), walked, ocean and pool swam, ran, wave surfed, skim boarded, kayaked, fished, played golf and bocce, played board and other group games, watched DVD movies, read, and cleaned LOTS of towels! 

 

I reflected...how fortunate were we as a family to be able to come together like this, for a week of beautiful weather, LOTS of eating and drinking, LOTS of story-telling and laughing (and some teasing as we reverted to our childhood roles!), during this memorable week...Dad was looking down from Heaven above!