FAMILY REUNION

IN AUGUST 2012 WE HAD A HUGE FAMILY REUNION IN KLAMMATH FALLS, OREGON.  THERE WAS ABOUT 50 OF US ALTOGETHER. WE ARE ALL VERY CLOSE KNIT AND LOVE BEING TOGETHER SO IT WAS SUCH A BLAST HAVING JOEY GET TO KNOW MY FAMILY. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW MISSING FACES, THEY WERE REMEMBERED AND VERY MISSED BY ALL OF US, YES EVEN JOEY AND TY (MY SISTER’S FIANCE) WHO HAVE NEVER EVEN MET THEM. ON DAY 1 WE ARIVED TO THE CAMP SITE AND SET UP OUR TENT, WHICH I MIGHT ADD HALF OF OUR TENTS WERE LIKE THE SIZE OF HOTELS. OK NOT LITERALLY THAT LARGE, BUT THEY WEREN’T YOUR AVERAGE 5 PERSON TENTS.  IT WAS A FAIRLY LAX AFTERNOON AND WE ALL JUST HUNG OUT AROUND THE CAMPFIRE WAITING FOR THE WHOLE CLAN TO ARRIVE. INTRODUCTIONS WERE MADE AND YES THE BOYS WERE TESTED ON NAMING EVERY RELATIVE. :) WE ARE CRUEL LIKE THAT HAHA, BUT I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT JOEY NAMED EVERYONE WITHOUT STRUGGLE AND THEY WERE ALL SO IMPRESSED, GRANTED HE DID STUDY NAMES AND FACES BEFORE THE TRIP. DAY 2 CONSISTED OF HIKING AT CRATER LAKE, YES ALL DAY LONG! IT WAS A FUN EXPERIENCE HIKING WITH 40+ PEOPLE. WE SANG, WE DANCED, WE SHOUTED, WE TOOK SO MANY PICTURES, AND ATE A LOT OF SNACKS. REACHING THE TOP WAS SO REWARDING FOR BOTH MYSELF AND JOEY BECAUSE WELL LETS FACE IT WE WERE BOTH SO OUT OF SHAPE AND DIDN’T THINK WE’D LAST LONG. WELL I’M A PERSEVERING TYPE OF PERSON AND I KNEW I WOULDN’T HAVE GIVEN UP BECAUSE I JUST DON’T LIKE QUITTING, BUT I KNEW IF JOEY WANTED TO STOP I WOULD STOP WITH HIM. THERE WAS ONE POINT WHERE HE WANTED TO GIVE UP, BUT MY HONEYBEAR KEPT ON TRUDGING ALONG AND I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM. LET ME TELL YA WE ALL SLEPT SO GOOD THAT NIGHT, NO REALLY, THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE SNORING IT ECHOED AND I’M POSITIVE IT WAS THE SNORING THAT KEPT BEARS AWAY. DAY 3 WAS FUN IN THE SUN…AND WATER. YES RIVER RAFTING! A GROUP OF US WENT RAFTING IN A NEARBY RIVER AND PADDLED OUR WAY DOWN THROUGH STILL WATERS AS WELL AS CLASS 4 RAPIDS! OUR GROUP WASN’T SUPPOSED TO HIT THAT CLASS 4 RAPID, BUT OUR TOUR GUIDE WAS A LITTLE BUSY TELLING STORIES ABOUT GOLD MINERS AND TALKING SMACK TO THE OTHER TOUR GUIDES THAT HE DIDN’T SEE OUR TURN OFF IN TIME AND WELL LETS JUST SAY THAT WAS ONE OF THE BUMPIEST RIDES I’VE EVER EXPERIENCED. I THINK MY GROUP ALL LEFT WITH BRUISES IN ONE PLACE OR ANOTHER. DESPITE THE SCARY PART OF OUR RAFTING ADVENTURE IT WAS SO FUN AND EXHILARATING!  DAY 4 WAS PACK UP AND LEAVE DAY. WE ALL GOT UP AND STARTED BREAKING DOWN CAMP AND THEN SPENT A GOOD HOUR TAKING PICTURES. YES WE ARE A VERY PHOTOGENIC FAMILY AND HAD TO HAVE EVERY SHOT IMMAGINABLE. NOW YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW DIFFICULT THE PHOTO SESSION WAS WITH 50 OF US. IT WAS CHAOTIC, YET FUN AT THE SAME TIME. THUS BEGAN THE GOODBYES WHICH FOR US ACHANZARS IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT. EVER SINCE MY GRANDPA PASSED AWAY IN 2002 AND MY FAMILY MOVED SO FAR AWAY IT’S BEEN SUCH A DIFFICULT THING TO SAY GOODBYE TO OUR COUSINS WHOM WE GREW UP WITH AND WERE OUR FIRST BEST FRIENDS. SO THERE WERE PLENTY OF TEARS AND REALLY CORNY JOKES MADE AND FINALLY WE ALL WENT OUR SEPARATE WAYS. AFTER LEAVING THE CAMP SITE WE HEADED TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TO MEET MY DAD’S SISTER FOR THE FIRST TIME. SHE HAD A COZY LITTLE CABIN NEXT TO THE WATER. SHE SHOWED US HOW AFTER YEARS OF WEATHERING ABOUT 100 FEET OF THE CLIFF JUST DROPPED OFF AND THE BEACH IS GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER CABIN. WE ROAMED THE CHILLY BEACH, BUT DIDN’T DARE GET IN THE WATER BECAUSE OF THE LARGE RIPTIDES AND NOT TO MENTION THERE WAS A 100 FOOT DROP OFF A FEW YARDS INTO THE WATER! JOEY AND I HAD OUR LITTLE SCARE WHILE PLAYING CLOSE TO THE WATER AND TESTING MY JUDGEMENT OF WHEN THE WAVE WOULD HIT US. WELL NEEDLESS TO SAY, JOEY DISTRACTED ME AND A STRONG WAVE CAUGHT OUR FEET AND I SWEAR I HAVE NEVER MOVED FASTER IN MY LIFE! WHILE RUNNING FROM THE WAVE, HOWEVER, MY SANDLE GOT TAKEN BY THE WAVE AND OUT OF INSTINCT I RAN AFTER IT AND GRABBED IT AS QUICKLY AS I COULD AND GOT AWAY FROM A SECOND WAVE HEADED MY WAY. AFTER THAT MY HEART WAS POUNDING SO FAST I DIDN’T WANT TO GO NEAR THE SHORE LINE! SO WE HEADED TO A LAGOON AREA AND HAD FUN OVER THERE WATCHING TADPOLES AND WADING (ONLY TO OUR CALVES) INTO THE WATER. HANNAH HAD SO MUCH FUN PLAYING WITH OUR AUNT’S DOG AND THE LOOK ON MY DAD’S FACE TALKING TO HIS SISTER WAS PRICELESS! FAMILY IS A HUGE PART OF MY LIFE AND ANYTIME I CAN SEE THEM HAPPY MAKES ME HAPPY AND THE FACT THAT I GOT TO SHARE THAT WITH JOEY WAS ABSOLUTELY REWARDING IN EVERY WAY.