What Matters and Family Reunion Questions

As I focus on Gratitude, I am reminded of this thought:

"It's Not So Much

What's On The Table That Matters,

As What's On The Chairs."

~W.S. Gilbert~

I understand this quote at deeper level with every year I live.

I cannot put a price on the blessing of being surrounded by those I love and whom love me.

Whether by circumstances or choice, it is not possible for my entire family to be together.

In our Sunday School Class last week, we discussed the importance of Family Reunions, Keeping Immediate and Extended Family Ties strong, Creating Family Memories, and Family History. With our grown children living far away, it takes planning and effort to make sure we are together at least once per year. As the years roll on, Ron and I are aware that it will take more planning and effort to strengthen bonds and create memories. We are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure all of our children, their spouses, and eventually grandchildren, are together at least once per year.

Every minute will be worth the effort.

How do you Strengthen and Keep Family Ties Strong?

What has worked for you when planning Family Reunions?

How do you handle when a family member has

negative feelings toward other family members which make a

Family Reunion almost impossible?

Who usually plans your Family Reunions?

Ideas? Suggestions?

This need for Annual Family Reunions weighs heavy on my heart and mind...

Do Share...

Home For The Holidays

Excited Is An Understatement....

Photo from Christmas 2002, Curt's first Christmas home after his

mission to Venezuela. The Girls were so excited to have him home.

Excited to have.... Curt, Carmen, Jeffrey, Alison, and Andrew all with us for one day this weekend! Hooray!!! I am excited beyond words to have everyone together, even if it is for less than Twenty-Four Hours. We will meet in Orlando and let the fun begin. Ryan Ramos is getting married on Saturday in The Orlando LDS Temple. After the wedding and reception dinner, we will head to

Grandpa and Grandma's for an early Christmas Celebration.

Andrew flies in to West Palm Beach from Utah on Friday at 5:30pm. We will pick him up and head straight to Orlando. Curt and Carmen fly directly to Orlando from Michigan. Grandpa and Grandma will pick them up. Jeff and Alison will drive down from Gainesville. Curt, Carmen, Jeff, and Alison made reservations at the Grandpa and Grandma Hogie Inn. Andrew made reservations for the rest of us at the same Hotel Chain he works for in Salt Lake. The reunion will be short, yet oh so sweet.

This Sunday, Michael Watson speaks in Church prior to his departure for Missionary Service in Africa.

This week has been crazy. I am substituting for the Early Morning Seminary Teacher all week. It is not the getting up early that is difficult, it is the preparing a "song and dance" lesson for each day.

I think about the lesson all day long and into my dreams at night. My hat is off to anyone who TEACHES or ATTENDS Early Morning Seminary at 6am every school day. As my son, Curt, told the kids at Seminary in Utah when he attended there while we were on vacation in 1994....this is not "Real Seminary" (meaning, attending during the school day) I am sure he scored big points for verbalizing that observation. Wow...I am in awe of the entire Early Morning Seminary process. Great kids, Great Teachers!

Merry Christmas!

Laugh Out Loud

Last Year....Labor Day Weekend

Today I was working on a project that took me straight back to one

year ago today...Labor Day Weekend 2007.

Megan's Baptism and a Family Reunion, minus Andrew,

who was serving in Peru as a missionary.

Until today, I had almost forgotten how absolutely

LAUGH OUT LOUD

Andrew's missionary letters were.

They are packed with classic one liners that would double us over

with laughter the moment we read them.

What was the project I was working on? Interestingly...it revolved

around Andrew's Missionary Letters... I got them completely organized

in the page protectors and in the "Called To Serve" Binder.

(Doesn't everything in our family eventually revolve around Andrew...

no matter how round about it happens?)

I spent a lot of time laughing today...compliments of Andrew.

Read on to the end of the photos...

I posted the photos of our 2007 Labor Day Weekend activities onmy blog for Andrew to enjoy. As you will read at the end...a few things he saw caused great concern for him...

After viewing the photos, Andrew wrote,

"I saw the pictures from the boat trip you all took on the

intracoastal!!

It seems like you all had a good time!

Although something worries me.

The thing that worries me is the risk that Curt is now at to get

skin cancer on his head!

I have only been gone a year and he has no hair on his head.

From the looks of it he cant grow it on his head

any more so he just decided to grow it on his chin!!!!"

Love, Elder Hoss

You gotta know...Andrew loves his brothers!
Can't you just feel of his love and concern????
Your Turn will come soon enough, Andrew....
soon enough!
I could post for many days on just the hilarious thoughts from Andrew....
More laughs to come....
For a review of last year's fun click
HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE

Megan's Baptism

Megan was baptized on Friday, August 31.

The first of many great choices she will make.

Megan was so excited at every point. Many friends and family joined us for this special occasion. With the exception of Andrew, all of our children were here. Curt and Carmen came from Utah, Jeff and Alison came from Gainesville, and my parents came from Orlando. What a way to start a Family Reunion weekend!
The Baptism was the focus of our weekend together. What an honor and privilege for me, as Megan's mother, to meet her as she came up the steps of the Baptismal Font after being Baptized. It was a special time to share as mother and daughter. Having so many friends and family share in the joy made it even more special. Our family is blessed with so many friends who are just like family. I say this often, that God chose my friends for me and place us in each others' paths.

Shauna, Ron, and Megan

(Disclaimer-Ron's eye is swollen due to a hive--not me whacking him during the night when he nudged me to stop snoring!)

Carmen came to the rescue of my simple, plain bouquets of Costco flowers. She worked her magic to make arrangements for the chapel, foyer, and food table.

The bonus of these arrangements is that they were still fresh on Sunday, so we used them for Church meetings and then... I used the white roses for my Young Women Lesson. I sent a white rose home with each girl as a reminder of purity.

This was the beginnings of the food table being put together. The flowers were perfect and the food was inhaled and gone in no time flat.