Sunday, October 2, 2011

Family Schamily

Just came home from our annual fall family gathering where we gather at State Farm Park in Bloomington Illinois to eat and greet. I am the oldest of 6 kids. One died in childhood but the rest of us went on to terrorize our neighbors, co-workers and best of all, each other.

I have no pictures of said event as I MADE myself leave the camera at home. It interferes at times with real communication and observation. Beside with other 6000 pics on my computer at this moment I think a few missed shots won't matter.

We grill several pounds of meat, share salads, desserts, drinks and then play miniature golf, volleyball, and basketball.

We stink as a whole at most of the sports which makes it all the more entertaining. About half of us are under 20 and the rest are over 40. A couple of stragglers fall in between. The old mock the young and the young step over the old when we fall down attempting to do something ridiculous like serving the volleyball.

Each year I am reminded how fortunate I am to have such a family. The five of us siblings have reproduced or married into a total of 13 children. One of those now has 3 children (my grand kids), soon a nephew will leave for the Marines and so it goes. Families expand and grow and sometimes move away. At our gatherings there really is no forbidden topics of conversation. We DO talk about religion (we have Christians, atheists, agnostics and those still undecided) and politics, (most of us are strongly conservative and at least mildly so) and we discuss finance, world peace and why the cheap hot dogs can be very good when enough sauerkraut and ketchup is slathered upon them.

At the end of the day I drive home while two GK's and one hard working farmer husband fall asleep leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Never a good thing.

The perfect end to a perfect day is revealed in my kitchen window. I hope your weekend was super as well.

9 comments:

  1. That sounds like a great time...so wonderful to have a big family.

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  2. Sounds like a good time was had by all.

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  3. Lovely thoughts!

    Julie (fellow farm wife!)

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  4. Another amazing post! I just got back home this weekend and there is decompression happening! I just left some comments on the post about the bee class! Amazing stuff and your family sounds like a HOOT!

    Talk soon, and as always, open invite to NYC!! :)

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  5. Yes, lucky you. I have always been envious of people who come from large families.

    We spent the weekend dreading this morning. Our new kitchen will start to be installed this morning (it'll probably take 3 days). We've been without a kitchen for over a month, other than a mess in the corner of my studio. Roll on next weekend!!!

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  6. How fun! We will have our family reunion in two weeks - celebrating my parent's 40th anniversary! :)

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  7. A beautiful, unique tribute to family! And that view is truly a blessing...to be able to stand at your kitchen window and to see that scene...WHEW! I'm lovin it!

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  8. Lovely blog and great that you can get together and have a chat about anything
    xx

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  9. Once again your comments...make me think I must've been writing about my OTHER family. Really we are so far from perfect. Yet I love them and they tolerate me. Most of them anyway.

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