Reunion 2010 - The People

Every vacation is special in it's own way.

Here are some of the people who helped make our vacation extra special this year!

Grandma Lawrence: Without her, this family would not be possible!

Jeff and Erin: I am still keeping my fingers crossed that you will get hired in Hermiston!

Aunt Sherry and Aunt Melody: I took about 10 pictures trying to get one where they weren't being too silly!

Christy and Hailey: I think that sweater is waaaay better than any old Gap hoodie!

Uncle David: My fellow photographer extraordinaire.

Marcus: I actually caught him relaxing!

The Kids: Brian, Hailey, Sean, Caleb, Maggie, Andrew, Luke, Owen, Zachary, Seth, Olivia and JD.

Try saying that 3 times fast!

It took us 10 minutes to get them in order from oldest to youngest and then about 10 seconds for them to get tired of sitting there!

Jennifer: Thanks for helping me test the lighting!

Chris and Jeff: I wonder what those two were chuckling about...

Erin and Kristy: How cute are they?

Uncle Steve: We are so glad you could make it!

Jesse: Your backwards hat wearing has influenced my children more than you will ever know!

Down at the bonfire!

Here we all are!

(except for Chris who had to go back to work earlier that day).

Reunion 2010 - The Place

Beach, I miss you already!

But now that we are no longer together, I get to tell some of our adventures together from this past week and that makes me happy too.

Every two years, Mark's family has a reunion. It is always at the beach and it is always loads of fun.

This year we went to a new place for us and it's name was Netart's Bay.

It was perfect for our large group and my children are still upset that we actually left and came home.

The telling of our happenings is going to take several days so I'm just going to show you our home away from home today.

You'll have tour guide Miriah to help you out!

Tour Guide Miriah: Hello everyone! I am so excited you could stop by today! Isn't the weather gorgeous?! What? You don't like 64 degrees and wind? Well, trust me honey, it'll grow on you!

Anyway, come on and have a looks-see at Cabin #5. What it doesn't have in space, it will more than make up for in character!"

"Here we are! Just look at that deck. I know from personal experience that it has great wind protection and makes an ideal spot for lounging in and getting sunburns! You won't even notice that while you are reading your book, your body is slowly turning red!"

"While lounging you can just glance up from time to time to see what your pirate children are doing on the ship in front of you. Oh, you might also enjoy the view of the water - it's quite nice!"

 "Step right in! I hope your favorite color is blue because we've got lots of it in Cabin #5! Sit up on these here bar stools and you'll feel like ordering ice cream!"

"This little kitchen is full of charm. We have everything you could possibly need!

A LOUD bell to call everyone in to dinner with (my ears are still ringing!).

 A sailboat cookie jar and a woman who is ready to go to the beach with you in case you need a friend.

She's cool like that. There are lots of dishes for you to dirty as well as a set of knives that make a great conversational piece in case some family comes over and you run out of things to say. Not that that happens, but it's not a bad idea to be prepared!"

"If you turn to the left you will see your living room. Your children will sleep on the pull-out sofa just fine and I can even show them how to turn on cartoons in the morning so that you can sleep in! Talk about a win-win situation!"

"Now let's mosey back to the bedroom. I'm told that taco soup is sometimes served in here!"

"Moving on... Hmmm....Let's check out the bathroom. While it's not that big it does have such a cute design on the toilet seat that it makes me instantly think that I'm on the beach. Waves are crashing, children are playing, seagulls are flapping their wings and farting. Whoops! Maybe that's not the seagulls! Moving on, Moving on."

"That's all for today folks! Tomorrow I will be the Tour Guide as we check out the people at Netart's Bay as well as some of the activities they like to do! Here's a sneak peek:

What's scarier than Pamela Anderson without make-up?

More fearsome than teenage girls at a sold out Twilight show?

Tens times more terrifying than the thought of your mother moving in with you?

It's Saber Tooth Owen.

The birds were still and the squirrels could be seen bounding across the grass in a desperate run for their lives. Not a sound could be heard but the windchimes gently swaying in the cool afternoon breeze.

And then, a faint smell on the wind blew my way.

Pickles.

I instantly became alert. I only know of one such creature that possess that odor. A ferocious, crafty and sometimes silly animal.

That's when I spotted it stalking me.

Blood was dripping down it's self-made fangs that eerily looked like a scooby-doo picture that had been cut up and then colored on.

A smirk was on his face that called to mind someone else who smirks and likes to sneak up on me and make me scream.

I pretend to look away to lure this little creature in closer. His eyes start to dance with anticipation as he gets closer and closer until he roars his best roar, hurls his body in my direction and starts to gnaw on my arm.

I scream (if he's the animal I have to play the damsel-in-distress) and then say,

"What a wickedly scary animal this is! Whatever shall I do?!"

Saber-Tooth Owen jumps up and yells "Did I scare you Mommy?"

"Oh yes you sure did. My what big fangs you have!"

"I made them myself! I'm a saber-tooth Owen and my diet is meat!"

Wiping the slobber off my arm, I asked him to give me his best saber-tooth smile.

Pretty scary eh?

(He wanted to sleep with his fangs on and when I told him that wasn't a good idea he growled at me.)

Bowling with 5 (and 6,7,8 year olds)

Our little man, Mr. O., decided that for his birthday he was going bowling.

He invited a passle of friends

(and neighbors, fellow grocery shoppers and swimming pool goers).

I quickly noticed several things.

First a line was needed before we had an all out brawl between the bowlers.

My best friend Dawn quickly became

"The Head Woman in Charge" and she directed bowling traffic quickly and efficiently.

With a snap of her fingers those kids knew which way to go and they were quick about it or else they'd get a second finger snap telling them they were taking too long!

I just sat back and watched from behind my camera and I noticed several things.

To start with the kids would all look way down the lane towards the pins and they would not be smiling.

Talk about game faces!

I also noticed that the boys all employed the same two-handed-side throw which is not pretty but apparently gets the job done.

It starts with the wind up. Elbow is back, hips are thrust to one side, feet are evenly spaced apart.

(I think the only thing I have in focus is a small point on the elbow)

Then comes the throw.

So much force is behind it that most kids have to close their eyes.

Notice the footing.

The sheer determination.

And then notice my niece.

She (being the only girl) chose to do things her own way. She quietly observed some bowlers beside us and then did what they did.

The boys were oblivious.

After the heave, oops I mean throw, down the lane, I noticed that the kids had their own way of observing the outcome of their hard work.

We had "The Crouch".

And "The Slouch".

"The Conversation"

Hey, how's your game today?

Not bad, not bad. You?

My favorite shots were those of victory.

Caleb - "Woohoo! My ball managed to hit some pins!

I am The Greatest Bowler To Ever Live!"

Owen - "I'm awesome, I'm awesome. Check me out.

Now that I'm 5, I can do anything.

Just sit back and watch me!"

More birthday pics to come!