We got such a late start on Saturday that we didn't arrive at the resort where the reunion was being held until well after dinnertime. The kids were excited to see Uncle Adam, Uncle Jake, Opa and Oma, but everyone else were in the other houses. We got up early Sunday morning and headed back to Hendersonville for church. It took an hour to get there. It was fun to go to a ward where you think you will be completely anonymous and get greeted by name instead, the minute you walk in the door. Apparently, the lady who my in-laws called to get directions to the church was in the foyer when we walked in and figured it must be us because she didn't recognize us and there were a bunch of us!
That little ward, which was actually so full we had to sit on extra seats back in the cultural hall, was so friendly and welcoming, we didn't feel like strangers at all. Several people said hello and warmly welcomed us, one guy kept hoping he would "see us again real soon". David and Liz came in a bit after we had sat down and I am afraid my kids weren't so great at being reverent, they were too excited to see their cousins. We had never seen baby Isaac before, and he's five now! My favorite part was sitting together in a row in Relief Society, four Charles women.
After church we all headed back to the resort for lunch, although it took so long to get back home it was really "linner", as we call it in our family. (We generally have "linner" on Sundays, but maybe that will change once I get my crockpot from England…) It was so tempting to stop and get a snack or do some shopping as we passed all these little fruit stands and people selling handmade items for the tourists. My favorite was "Hillbilly John's Hand-Carved Chainsaw Bears". And I never did get to try those boiled peanuts everyone kept advertising. I can't even imagine how they would taste. Must have been kind of good, they sure were popular.
We spent a relaxing afternoon catching up with everyone and generally enjoying each other's company. Steven and Cristie arrived that evening with their three little boys and our house was full. The kids recognized everyone from their Christmas card photos, and like all cousins everywhere, they immediately bonded and had a blast playing with each other whenever they could.
Amelia (David's oldest) took exceptional care of Alexandra pretty much the whole week. She was always carrying her around, walking with her, playing with her, and giving her lots of love. Naturally, Alexandra just ate it up.
Boiled peanuts – blech!