August 10, 2015

Time to Go Home

August 10, 2015

Playground

All good things must come to an end, but we had a wonderful time celebrating the anniversary and just getting the family together.  We are too scattered to get everyone together very often, so we squeeze a lot into the times we can all gather together.  The first time we did it was for our 40th anniversary and I think we all thought every 5 years would be good.  Then it seemed that was not often enough.  The first was in Wimberly, in a lovely house with a pool.  The next was on a ranch south of San Antonio.  Then we did a last minute one, one year at a motel in San Antonio.  Last year was in cute little cabins near Lake Austin.  I think we will continue doing them with whoever can come.  Some years maybe not everyone can come, but hopefully we will get together often.  Each place has been perfect for the year we were there.  We have outgrown several of the previous places and this place is supposed to be limited to about 20, so we may soon outgrow it.  We had 20 there.

The nice large kitchen and the early riser of the bunch!

We are not a family of perfect people.  We are a family of people of love each other and love the Lord.  We try to deal with any problems as they arise, but they are few and far between.  We grow closer to one another each time we are together.  We focus on the things we all have in common.  The ten children got along wonderfully.  Maybe I think so because I don't hear well, but if that is the case, they didn't get too loud if they weren't getting along.  The adults tried to let the kids have fun and just be kids.  There is too little of that these days.  Children seem to grow up too fast. 

The chicken coup where the girls gathered eggs several times

Our interests are different.  I am the only true bird watcher in the bunch, but the others want to know what I saw and the children enjoyed that they could stop by the blind for a few minutes and then leave to do something that interested them more.  Groups would gather to visit - the older cousins together or the guys together.  This place had a large kitchen with a huge table with 6 chairs around it and they were almost always filled with people chatting. 

Breakfast the last morning

As for the sleeping arrangements, the fact that they only have 4 cabins called for some adjustments.  Jeff's family took the one large cabin and all were able to stay together.  David's family took one cabin for the 5 of them.  In the two remaining cabins, the remaining guys were in one and remaining gals in the other.  So Ron, Stephen, and Bob were together while Kristina, Vickey and I were together.  After Kristina and Stephen left, Bob and Vickey could have shared a cabin and Ron and I could have had the other, but we decided it was too much work to move for one night.

A couple of the cabins

Monday morning was mostly cleaning time and packing time.  We were to be out by 11:00 and we just barely made it.  We all drove to Fredericksburg and ate lunch together at a What-a-Burger.  It was noon and they were very busy so it was a challenge to find seating.  Vickey ended up eating with a stranger, an older man who was alone, but she had a good time visiting with him.  Then Jeff's family headed home, as did David's. 

The porch on the lodge facing the swimming pool

Ron, Bob, Vickey and I headed to a quilt shop in San Antonio and shopped a little.  Then we went to a Chick-fil-A for supper and visited a couple of hours until the rush hour traffic died down.  Bob and Vickey went to Dave's for a couple of days and we came home, arriving just at midnight.  It was a super time together.  Thanks to the family who all worked to make it happen.  Thanks to those of you who sent anniversary cards for us that we were given at the party.

Memories for a lifetime