The Good, The Bad, and the Very Fun

Wow. A lot has happened since I last wrote, good and tragic.



We just had our family reunion over the weekend and it was a BLAST. It was action-packed, one thing to the next. Highlights:

• Family temple session Thursday night (there were maybe two people in the room that weren't family) which was awesome, followed by a fun adult-only dinner at Aunt Phyllis's. It was (of course) amazing food and so great to see cousins, aunts and uncles that I never see.

• Friday began with the usual Fun Run, which my kids biked (or scootered), I walked, and Bill ran. Macy should have gotten an award for second place for kid bikers (she was on her scooter), but I think there was some confusion there. Anyway, it was so fun and we all won some little prize.

• Then we had crafts (Marilyn taught us to make some of the cutest cards ever), lunch, golfing for the men, and swimming, and then we all floated down the river in tubes and rubber rafts. And I when I say all, I mean there were very few who did not. It was quite a sight, the entire family, from the original kids down to their many grandkids, all floating in a huge caravan down the river. Bill stayed home with Payson, so I took Macy, and she was quite the trooper. It was loooong, but fun.

• Afterward was pizza (Bill and I had a heck of a time finding carb-free food and mostly just didn't eat at the meals, but I lost three pounds!), hiking, (which Bill and I did not do due to exhaustion and my mom's need for help preparing for the breakfast the following morning) and an ice cream bar.

• Saturday morning Bill got up early and did the bike ride around town, and then it was a pancake breakfast at my parents. Then it was off to the Amazing Race, which I was most excited for. We all picked our own teams. Ours was me, my dad, Bill, Landon, Starlie, and my bro-in-law Jeff. We all started at Phyllis's with a trivia question. As soon as we figured out the trivia question "by any means necessary" (we called my sister Alison who was sitting at home at the computer ready to Google) we could start on the three challenges. It took us a while to get the answer so we got a late start, but as soon as we did I did the first challenge, which was running down the hill, down the dock and jumping into the river, back out, up the dock, back up the hill to tag the next person. I knew it would be fun and I could do it, and I thought I had completely prepared myself for everything: the cold, running in wet shoes, etc. What I had not taken into consideration was the current. I jumped off the middle of the dock and when I came back up two seconds later, I was at the end of the dock by the jet skis, and barely grabbed a hold of it as I flew by. I then had to start clawing my way back up the dock with my hands. My dad had the inspiration to come down and see if I needed help, and suddenly his arm was pulling me out of the water. I then ran, numb, shaking, dripping wet up the dock, by the time I reached Landon, I could barely breathe. He then walked up the driveway hill with a spoon in his mouth and a water balloon on it, where he tagged Bill at the pool. Bill dove in, swam the length of the pool and back, and then we all ran down and got our six clues. Then we were off. My dad was driving, which was an advantage, because he knew where everything was and the fastest way to get there, and he wasn't afraid to speed. The clues took us all over town, where we all had to get out, get the landmark or business sign in a picture as proof with all of us in it, and then to the next place. It was so fun, although we got so into it that we started getting out of the car before it had actually stopped, and Landon took a huge spill in a parking lot, flat on his back, head hitting the asphalt about an inch from my foot. It was bad, but he was fine. We came in fourth out of I think ten teams, so not too bad, but there were some people who were in it to win. I heard something about some teams driving over medians and stuff. Wow.

• Then it was the BBQ and auction at my parents'. We all love the auction, it was a lot of fun. I got some great stuff.

And then it was over. It was such a whirlwind, I couldn't believe it was already over. Did I think to take a picture the entire time? That would be no. I was so mad. But the memories are there. The fun times were laced throughout with sad, sad times. Before the reunion began my mom gave us the news that my sweet Aunt Jenny's (my mom's younger sister) cancer had returned and had spread all over her body, including very dangerous organs. This is the third round of it, so we are nervous, but the doctors are giving her incredible odds, so we are hopeful. She is very optimistic but being smart about everything. Friday we got the news that President Faust had died. I couldn't believe it. That came as a shock to me. And Saturday, my sweet Uncle Reed (my dad's oldest sister's husband) who had suffered from a brain tumor for years, passed on. During our reunion. He was suffering a lot, so in that sense it was good, but in the middle of the reunion...it was just hard.

Now we are done with soccer, swimming lessons, and off to Lincoln City in two days for a week with Bill's family. Summer is nearing an end and I can hardly believe it. It has flown by. When we get back school will be starting in two weeks. It's too soon!!! I'm not ready!!!

It's been a summer of movies for us, both theater and rental, so I can't wait to do my Mega-Watt Movie Review. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, I'll be soaking up the sun (rain) relaxing (trudging through sand) on the warm (freezing) beach in my bikini (jeans and sweatshirt). Love that Oregon Coast! And this time I will take pictures!