The Weekend of Family Reunions

Crazy weekend. Gabe came in town for a visit...though we also happened to each have a family reunion. Earlier in the week I went to a trivia night with my siblings and a couple of out-of-town cousins. It was a lot of fun, though of course we didn't win. We did however rock the Year of 1932 round...are we dorks or what? It was crazy smoky in the bar though, so much so that my contacts were completely clouded up by about the halfway point. I love hanging out with family so family reunions are wonderful. Hearing stories and everything, it's great! Gabe's family party was on Saturday and was up in like St. Charles so it was a trek from my house. It was cool though, I got to meet some of his extended family and hear stories about their past and listen to some interesting conversations.

On our way to the park

Sunday was my family party at the house. It was a pretty relaxed gathering. There was some Wii played, beer drank, and laughs had. Our family from California came in and stayed with us. That was really wonderful. A lot of people it seems don't find it strange to have family spread out over the country, only seeing each other every few years at most. I do though. I'm used to grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins being a part of everyday life. I guess having some family far away makes their visits more special then.

It's difficult to apprecaite family at all times. It's easy to become impatient, to be ungrateful. It's good to have a reminder every once in awhile how important and beautiful family is, but it's better not to need that reminder. I need to work on thanking God everyday for family as well as showing my thankfulness.

Love and prayers