Our Annual Family Potluck Reunion in Shippensburg, PA – Saturday June 9, 2018
EARLY MEET AND GREET
Maggie and Brian drove from Maryland and stopped by Shippensburg Health Care Center (SHCC) to spend a little time with Brian’s Aunt Janice before heading over to the reunion. Mom had one older sister, Jeanette, who passed in 2014 at 90 years of age. Jeanette had two children: Brian, above, and Grace, pictured further on down the page.
Michael drove from Colorado for the week. Because Mom is in frail health, we set this little meet and greet up as a fall safe for the out-of-towners in case 85-year old (soon to be 86) Mom was’t able to make it to the reunion.
MEMORIAL PARK
We rented a pavilion in spacious Memorial Park and have vowed to have our reunions outdoors from now on. It couldn’t have been a prettier day, and instead of feeling cooped up, we all had plenty of room to stretch our legs.
JOHN AND DARLA’S GROWN UP CHILDREN
Firstborn Aphia chats with Bob while her sister, Charity enjoys a moment with her husband, Jason.
Father/brother Joseph hangs with John and Darla’s youngest, Brandon, and his wife Joanna.
COUSINS
Cousin Brian with brother Bob and Brian’s wife, Maggie. Camille, Mom, and cousin Grace.
Grace sporting a fun, steampunk hat, with Camille and Brian. Michael and Grace get caught up before lunch
LET THE FOOD BEGIN
Another memorable potluck, from Joanna’s macaroni and cheese, to Grace’s salad and cookies, to Darla’s chicken and watermelon. There were pickles, chips, dips, bread, pizza, desserts, and beverages. Darla orchestrated this incredible spread and set things up with help from her sister, Sherre and Bob.
Sherre and brother Jim tackle the watermelon.
CHOW DOWN
Thirty-two sets of chompers got to work. We joke that we can’t go home until we’ve eaten all the food. Heh heh, as if that could happen…
Michael gets some good father/daughter time with Nicole and her husband, Robert. They were heartily welcomed at their debut family reunion.
At the Mom table: Brian, Charity, Grace, Jim, brother Bob, Joseph, Brandon, Joanna, and Jason. SHCC sent an ample pack lunch of pureed food for Mom, who recently misplaced her uppers and only has three teeth on the bottom.
Bob catches up with Aphia’s long time boyfriend, Michael, whom we have not seen since they moved to Florida nine years ago. Maggie and Sherre share tall tales and secrets, while Nicole and Robert’s daughter, Layla, merges with her newly-discovered cousins.
Cousins Lydia, Bethany, Alanna, and Layla. Lydia tackles a dill pickle, one of her very favorite foods.
FAMILY BAND
Michael, Brandon, and John held a few jam sessions in preparation, put together a song list, and hauled microphones and amps to the park. Darla brought music to last year’s reunion and it stuck. Music is life, certainly it was Mom’s life, a woman who sang while she worked, and whose childhood aspiration was to be a concert pianist and composer. How sweet to see her pick up the mic and sing along, with Charity’s help on lyrics.
A PASSEL OF KIDS
Charity and Brandon gave John and Darla ten grand kids who they see often for outings, sleep overs, and dinners. Darla, left, has been giving the kids music lessons and teaching them to sew.
GENEROSITY RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Joel, the youngest member of our family, was inexplicably moved to share his red fireman’s helmet with his great-grandmother.
He watched wordlessly in anticipation
as she took it from him and placed it on her head.
KICK BALL BOYS
Micah and Levi, Brandon and Charity’s oldest, urged Bob to announce a game of kick ball. So, after dinner, music, and our traditional round robin, three generations played kick ball on the lawn: Bob, Camille, Brandon, Joanna, Charity, and their children. Camille wrote about the game and the whole, glorious day here: Swinging With My Eyes Closed
AFTERSHOT
Aphia thought to get a group photo, and although Joseph had ridden off on a borrowed bicycle to say mass, John and Michael had left to take Mom back to SHCC, and the out-of-towners had begun their drive home, there were still a sizable number of us, all glowing from a fabulous day in the park.