Family Reuinions

This last weekend was the annual Morse family reunion.  Every year approximatly 60-70 family members cram into a cabin up by the Calamas lake.  Grandma is in her glory surrounded by her offspring.  She bore 6 children who all had at least 3 of their own giving her 24 grandchildren.  The grandchildren have given her over 25 great grandchildren and more are always springing up.  Grandma is full Czech and Grandpa was 1/2 Czech and 1/2 Dutch.  This makes for a lot of loud rowdy Bohemians having a good time.

The grandchildren is the group to which I belong.  For just a few days we shed our responsibilites of parent hood, drink a lot of beer, eat a lot of really good food, tube down the river, and enjoy each other.  Our children run around playing, their hair curling with sweat and humidity, stinking of bug spray, and covered with food and dirt.  They run in packs and the older care for the younger with small interventions from parents or grandparents.  Tubing down the river most little kids are left behind with grandmas and grandpas as parents want to enjoy their lack of responsibility for just a few more hours.  I missed tubing this year and feel that I missed a huge part of the fun.  We float down the river in our tubes catching up on all the family gossip and trying to catch the tank that holds all he beer!  We end up crawling out red as lobsters, tipsy, and bonded.

A game is always played on Saturday nights.  All the children of my Grandma grab their very large families and line them up to begin the competition.  In the past we have competed in the Morses have talent, Dancing with the Morses,  Fear Factor, and  The Morse Olympics.  This years theme was the Morses as Couch Potatos.  We had crocket potatos, potato sack races, potato sking, the potato catapult, and potato sculptures.  My Dad's  family won hands down this year!!!  We are the best potato sack racers in the county and the competion never had a chance. Although, it is great to win, the winner must design the next years game.  We are always instructed to lose but the competitve nature somehow always kicks in and we actually try.

A family is bonded.  Bonded by memories, experiences, and love.  Some drive us absolutly crazy.  Some we get crazy with.  For just a few days, we become a very large unit.  A family.