FAMILY REUNION
Every year on the second weekend of July we have our family reunion. This year marked the 33rd annual reunion and we rotate cities every summer. This year’s reunion was held in Gatlinburg, Tennessee which is in the Appalachian mountains. The weekend starts on Friday with a meet and greet and barbeque and Saturday is a free day so the women can shop and the men can play cards and the kids go swimming and to the amusement park. Saturday is the true highlight of the reunion with a banquet at 7pm, it’s like other banquets we dress up, recognize the accomplishments of family members from the past year and give awards for things such as the oldest family member, the youngest one, the one who traveled the longest distance (which we will win every year) and we also have drawings for prizes. When the meal is finished we have a talent and fashion show and then it’s party time!!!! On Sunday morning there is a church service and we all say bye to each other and say we will see you next year. I really love the reunion i get to see family members that i would normally never see because the family is spread out from Chicago to Detroit to Florida to New York to Arizona. This way we all can see each other without having to travel to 6 different places, we all travel to one place and see everybody. Next year the reunion will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio and how the location of the next reunion happens is sort of like the Olympics : someone makes a bid and the family votes. Voting is based on things like travel accessibility , hotels, and the last time the city hosted the reunion. I can’t wait till next year.