There and back again, a reunion tale

We had a great reunion, fantastic.   It was my parents 5oth anniversary this year and so we had a celebration in conjunction with our reunion.  It was short but action packed.  I loved seeing all of my great family and spending time with them.  Most of us packed up our goodies and headed home Sunday.  We only made it about 150 miles then disaster struck.  My car, which isn’t really that old, and which has had it’s oil changed every 3,000 miles, decided to spin a bearing.  We were traveling with my daughter and son in law, so we split up and sent the ones who needed to get back to work home with Alex and we useless ones back to Rexburg.  My dad headed out to tow us in and the odyssey began.  Monday morning my dad and brother tore into my car.  One of them was on vacation and the other one actually took off work to help my Dad.  One week later, the job was done, the car started and we headed home.   I will be forever grateful to come from a wonderful family where my parent taught us to work.  Where a head of homeland security, a geologist and a few more actually had the gumption and know how to tear into a modern car with all of their computer systems and be able to get it all put back together again.  I am grateful for a family where there is enough compassion to actually care enough to help one another. Last year my daughter and son-in-laws clutch went out after our reunion in Washington.  My brother who lives there stayed up all night fixing it for them.  This week proved to be not just stressful, but enjoyable also.  I was able to spend time with family that I don’t see very often.  My brother and Dad were able to spend time together also.  I feel that through all of it, this was a great experience.  Mom and Dad have been married for fifty years, and they have created a great legacy.  I just hope to be pass it forward.  I hope my children will look out for each other also.  I guess that is the goal.   

Summertime!

The last day of school has come and gone. I worked so much the last month, I awaited this last day with great anticipation. Remember as a kid, the sense of freedom you felt walking home on the last day, with your ‘your child has successfully completed’ letter. I do, that is what I felt this last day of school. I was so burned out and ‘done’ I couldn’t wait until it was over. I went to my daughters awards assembly on the last day, which was really enjoyable.

One tradition we started at our house is that we build a bonfire one the last day of school and burn all of the homework. We roast hotdogs and have smores. This serves two purposes, it is a cleansing process for us all, and it gets rid of all of the crap they drag home. We sort it out and keep the good stuff and burn the rest. I wish I would have had the chance to go through my school bag and burn some stuff. Summertime is the best, the freedom, the heat, the swimming, the traveling. I am glad it is here. I am ready, I know my kids are ready, and my yard and my car. We have started off with a bang, we went to the pool the day after school got out, and we are heading on our first trip soon. Yeah! for summer.