Family reunion

I am just back from one of the best weekends ever, in Memphis (MEM)!

Memphis, TN is my "hometown".  My Mom was born and raised there, and met my Dad when he was a young sailor in the Navy there.  They married and a couple years later I was born.  We lived there for my first seven years and after the military transferred Dad to Pensacola, FL and Virginia Beach, VA, we spent countless hours in the car driving back and forth to spend summer vacations, Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays there.  We spent a lot of time with our cousins and family when we were kids.

Then we grew up and seemed to only go back for weddings and funerals.  We've spread out over the country--me in Washington; sister Julie in Chicago; brother Mike and sister Donna in Virginia Beach. Occasionally someone from Memphis has been able to come visit the "East Coast Contingent"--but it's been impossible to get everyone together.

Then Dad had a great idea--he'd try to get all of us together in Memphis.  (Yeah, good luck with that!)  He set about looking for a restaurant, hotel, plane fare, cars....

This past weekend, he reserved a private dining room at Sharky's in Memphis and invited my Aunt Joy and Aunt Dot and "Aunt" Rosalind and their adult kids and spouses to dinner. Aunt Joy was married to my Mom's brother Roy; Aunt Dot was married to my Mom's brother George; and Aunt Rosalind was my Mom's best friend.

For the last several weeks, I was fending off e-mails from Aunties, cousins and friends asking what was going on, was my Dad sick or have some sort of "announcement" to make...was he getting married or moving to another country...all sorts of things came up.  But, the biggest question was "can you guys make it?", meaning me, my sisters and my brother.

Well, I couldn't come, I told them, because I already had Thanksgiving off and was going to Berlin to spend it with my husband, and just didn't have the time.  My sister Donna couldn't because she had just started a new job and didn't have the vacation days.  My brother Mike couldn't because one of his daughters was playing in an important field hockey tournament that would help her land a college scholarship.

Lies, lies, all lies!!

They all met for drinks at the restaurant and about 45 minutes into it, Donna, Mike, Mike (my brother-in-law, who was representin' for my sister who truly could not be there) and I walked into the restaurant.  The first thing we heard was a loud "OH MY GAWD!" from cousin Karen!  It was awesome!  We had surprised them and what a surprise it was!

Seeing all these people that we love and miss and share history with was so amazing! There were hugs everywhere, tears, laughter...it was, as my Dad says, marvelous, magical, and magnificent!

So, allow me to indulge and share these pictures of some of the neatest, coolest and best people I know, my family!  (Thanks, Dad!)

My brother Mike and his wife, Jackie.

Buzzerbell and KK My sister Donna and cousin Karen

Dad welcoming everyone.

Cousins David, Michael, Tours, and Joseph

David and his wife Sandy

Tours, Mike, David, me, Joseph, Donna, Michael

Aunt Rosalind (aka "Mother Harper") and Mike

Aunt Dot, Aunt Joy, Aunt Rosalind

Aunt Dot, Aunt Joy, Aunt Rosalind and Uncle Curtis

Cousin Roy (Bubba) and sister Donna

My sister's husband, Mike and Cousin Willie (aka Mudcat)

Cousin Diane (Di-nana) and her husband Michael

Mike and Jackie

Cousin Johnny's daughter, Caroline stopped by to say hello!

Dot, Rosalind, Mike

KK and me

Whatever it was, it was funny! Me and Diane with Dad looking on.

The years don't change a thing--we've always been "thick as thieves"! Me and Cousin Diane

Dad, Roy, Willie

Willie, KK, Mike

Di-nana and Bubba

A Bubba sammich! Di-nana, Bubba, and Buzzerbell

KK and Donna

After dinner, many of us sat around in a big circle reminiscing. We put the candles in the center of us to represent Mom, Uncle George, Uncle Roy and "Uncle" Jack.