Briggs Reunion

(I started writing this June 30th and then added a bit here and there over the weeks, but never finished it til now. So goes my blogging career...I start, procrastinate, then eventually finish. If only I wasn't so obsessed with recording all the details, maybe I could finish an entry in a single sitting for once!)

Over the weekend of June 19, 20th and 21st was the annual Briggs family reunion. Briggs is my mom's maiden name, and the reunion is in honor of her father's parents, Eli and Mary Briggs. Every year my grandpa and his siblings take turn hosting the reunion. This year it was my grandpa's turn, which made it particularly special for me because it was held at his ranch in Whitehall, Montana, where I haven't been for a couple of years, and where the reunion hasn't been for 6 or so years. I love Montana and miss it so much...I was looking forward to going to the reunion for months! It was our first time traveling out of town since Jacob was born...traveling almost 7 hours with two kids was a little bit stressful, but thankfully little baby Jacob did pretty well on the way there (the way home was another story!).

My extended family is absolutely huge, and at these reunions every year I have a difficult time remembering names and how I'm related to everybody. There's many people I don't know or recognize at all! I think somebody told me the count for the reunion this year was 104 people! I was especially excited because every single one of my aunts and uncles was there this year. My mom is the oldest of 9 children, so I got a lotta aunts and uncles, and I haven't seen many of them for years and years. I love them all and it was so great to see them, and of course my wonderful grandparents too. And my cousins....wow. They're all grown-up! Since my mom is the oldest in her family, me and my brothers were always the older cousins. I remember growing up, it seemed all my cousins were just babies and toddlers running around our feet. Now they're all graduating high school and college and some of them are getting married! Aaaah!!! I'm getting old!

The weekend consisted of lots of visiting, eating (gooooood food on the ranch, I tell you), and trying to keep dry! Unfortunately it rained and rained most of the weekend, so the weather wasn't ideal for a lot of the activities that had been planned, but the little kids LOVED it! They were having a ball playing in the rain and especially in the mud that was everywhere! We parents didn't love that so much. I tried to keep Thomas out of the mud and rain the best I could, but it was no use...eventually I just gave in. At one point he and his little cousins ended up ankle deep in a big ole mud puddle over by the barn that probably also contained horse poo....ugh! To look at them, soaking wet out in the rain and the cold, you'd think they'd be miserable, but they were having a grand time! I worried a lot because I failed to really prepare for the possibility of cold weather. I brought lots of changes of clothing because I knew Thomas would probably get filthy running around the ranch, but most of them weren't nearly warm enough for the weekend! I only brought one light coat, and before the trip he didn't even have any shoes besides sandals that fit him. Luckily I did go buy him a new pair of sneakers to wear. Thomas of course ended up getting himself, his clothes, his coat and shoes repeatedly soaked and filthy, so we did a lot of bathing and washing clothes and borrowing clothes from cousins!

Tommy had a fun milestone over the course of the weekend...he took his first ever ride on a horse! A few of the little kids were begging to take horse rides, so my grandpa got one of his horses saddled up and led each kid around the corral on a slow, easy ride. It really brought back memories of visiting the ranch growing up...I was always so excited when I got to ride the horses and I loved watching the rodeos my family would put on. My grandpa has his own rodeo arena, and in fact, my lovely mother used to be a Rodeo Queen. =) Thomas was so impatient for his turn on the horse...he kept freaking out and yelling over and over, desperately, that it was his turn! He could hardly stand the anticipation!

Even though we had to stay holed up in the barn or the houses or camp trailers most of the weekend because of the rain, we were still able to par-tay! One night we did Karaoke, which I absolutely love! I sang a couple of songs, and Thomas got really interested and said he wanted to sing. They got Twinkle Twinkle Little Star going for him, but he chickened out and I ended up having to go solo. (I think he really, really just wanted to play with the microphone!) They also had a live band and dancing another night, during which Tommy demonstrated his moves...he loves to dance! At one point one cute little girl (yes, we're related to her but I don't even remember how or what her name was) partnered up with him, and the two of them were pretty enthusiastic and adorable little dancers!

One tradition I love is the family auction we have at the reunion every year. Everybody is asked to bring some unwanted (but nice) things or to make something to bring (like a quilt) to be auctioned off to pay for the reunion the following year. Its a great way to pay for the reunions and I always look forward to it! Last year I ended up buying one of the quilts at the auction for quite a pretty penny (but it was worth it, I love that thing!), so this year Ryan forbade me to buy any of the more expensive items! But we did get a couple smaller things to help contribute to the fund. Its always fun to see what people bring and watch the battles that ensue when people are trying to out-bid each other.

On the Sunday morning of the reunion, usually everyone just has breakfast and then packs up and heads home. But this year, Sunday was a special day because my niece Anika, the daughter of my oldest brother Josh, had just turned 8 about a month before the reunion, and decided to be baptized that weekend during the reunion, since all the family would be together. We had a nice little service on Sunday in the yard of my Uncle Jeff, who lives right next to my grandparents. My two brothers Zane and Travis gave short talks, then we headed over to the pond for the baptism. Anika was the first of Josh's children to be baptized and he got kind of emotional during the baptism, which I thought was very sweet. It was cool being at a baptism in the great outdoors...I don't think I've ever experienced that before. Afterward we all headed over to the barn for Anika's confirmation and then had lunch one last time before Ryan and I headed home. Our trip home wasn't exactly pleasant, as Jacob was very unhappy in his carseat the majority of the way, and we ended up getting home very late because of frequent stops, but...we survived!

I felt especially bad because it was Father's Day on the day we drove home, and in getting ready for the reunion I didn't find time to get Ryan (or my own Dad even!) a gift in time...I did get them cards, but I didn't end up writing in them or giving them to their recipients! (Please know, both Ryan and Dad and Grandpa too, what wonderful fathers you are and how much I love you. Sorry I dropped the ball on Father's Day this year!) I did, at Ryan's request, drive the whole 7 hours home, which is extremely unusual for me. And I don't especially love driving his giant, lifted pickup truck! Ryan always drives when we are together, I think because we both prefer it. I think my driving makes him nervous, and his being nervous at my driving makes me feel nervous while driving. Therefore, he usually drives!

Even though it was a bit of a crazy weekend, being the first time I'd been away from home with two children, it was a great weekend spent with family and I was so happy to see everyone. I am so lucky to have so many wonderful people to call family and I love them all so much! I loved getting to see everyone I've been missing for so long and spending time at my grandparents ranch where I have so many beloved childhood memories.