reunion rendezvous

With summer around the corner, we are approaching reunion season and what a season it is going to be. This summer, Kent and I will attend 3 reunions: West, Hatch and Sommer. Luckily, the West and Hatch reunions run perfectly into each other and they're both in Utah. They're actually both in Provo Canyon which simplifies things even more. The Sommer reunion is the following week, so we are booked solid with family for two weeks.

The West reunion includes my immediate family and will be at Aspen Grove. We've been there a couple of times and it's great. Being my year to plan and coordinate things (it rotates from one sibling to the next each year), I originally wanted to do a big house boating trip to Lake Powell. We used to go there every other year when I was growing up and I LOVED that vacation, but the family insisted on Aspen Grove. Why? While Aspen Grove is beautiful and fun, I think the main reason for the insisting is because they offer babysitting for children and infants 6 weeks old and up. Plus, the kids get split into groups according to age and go off with their group leader all day leaving the parents kid and fancy-free. It really is a vacation. Well, a vacation with 60 other people. It's also easy for me as the coordinator. I just had to put our name in a lottery to reserve our spot. Aspen Grove takes care of everything else: food, lodging, activities, etc. Looking forward to the mountain air and family fun.

That reunion will finish up and that very same day we'll be on to the Hatch reunion, my mom's family. It has been a few years since we've had a Hatch reunion so Kent is going to meet a lot of people, and I mean a lot. My mom has 6 siblings and they've all multiplied and replenished. To put things into perspective, my mom had 10 children and my Aunt Netta had 11 children and that's just two of the six siblings. Almost all of my cousins are married and have kids of their own and some of their kids of kids of their own, so it will be a full, crazy couple of days with a fun bunch of people. Here's the reminder flyer:


That's Grandma & Grandpa Hatch. They are no longer alive, but they were great people. They lived most of their lives in Mexico and have some good stories. Good old Colonia Juarez. I'm excited to take Kent there someday.

After the Hatch weekend, Kent and I will go to the Sommer reunion in San Diego. We can't stay for the entire week, but I can't wait to relax on the beach for a few days and spend time with the Sommer crew. Those beach house vacations are great. I'm looking forward to hearing more Sommer family stories, especially about Kent and his "cool" junior high years.

I'm glad summer is almost here and that Kent and I get to spend so much time with our families. We are so blessed to be part of wonderful families who have good values and who love and care for each other. Family time is always a great time.