Family Reunion

This weekend has been crazy-fun! The day after graduation, we packed our stuff and drove 7 hours to a family reunion. We drove through Jackson, and as we were coming out of the pass there is a breath-taking view. So, we pulled over the snap a couple shots and wouldn't you know it, we packed our camera, but left our memory card in the printer at home. My bad. So, I have to rely on my sister's photos as soon as she sends them to me - we don't have one. But, it was a fun weekend. All but 2 of my siblings were there. On Friday we played on a Wii (my other sisters) and then later floated down the Platte River, it was fun. Ana went to the pool with half the family, and so Dave and I enjoyed a nice long float.

On Saturday, we went up to Martin's Cove. Have you ever been there? The Martin Handcart company stopped there in October of 1856 - trapped with little food in an awful early snowstorm. I always imagined it like a cave, but its not that at all. Its just an area surrounded on 3 sides by mountains. To me, it looked like it was a good idea to camp there to get out of the wind, but the first night they got there, the storm swooped in over the mountains and pounded them. In the week they were there before the rescue, 56 people died. As we were walking away from the cove I remembered this story of Francis Webster. As I looked over the land and saw what they had to experience, I was filled with emotion for the sacrifice they made. It was a pretty amazing experience. My dad said "The Lord could have tempered the storm, instead he tempered the saints." In the visitor's center, there is a list of those who were in the Willie and Martin handcart companies. I was amazed at how many people survived! Such harsh conditions with little food, thin clothing and shoes and only a cove and a handcart for protection, so many lived!

For the last event of the reunion we had a competition - Harry Potter Jeopardy. We are all HP fans, but My youngest sister is a bit more than the rest of us. She's read books one thru four 15 times, number five 11 times, and number six 5 times. Of course, she slaughtered us all, but it was still fun. She had to wait until the reunion was over the read number 7, but since she rode with us, and we had ours shipped to the reunion, we read it all the way home. She is now sitting in my front room reading it. We'll probably finish it up today...

The reunion was a turning point in our family, too. My mom she's "got to get a wii" and my dad is going to read Harry Potter. It was fun and that was why I didn't post all weekend. As soon as I get pictures, I'll post them, too.

P.S. I got so involved writing this blog as Ana ate her breakfast that I only just realized that she fell asleep in her high chair. Its been a long weekend for us all!