Summer Traditions

As I get older, I am amazed at how the summer seems to fly by! When I was a kid the summer's went on forever. Now it seems like they've come and gone before I've had the chance to really enjoy them. Lucky for me my family is big on traditions and getting the extended family together at least twice a summer.

Every summer I have two family reunions to attend that remind me of what it was like when I was younger. Now I bring my family to those reunions and realize that I'm passing on history and tradition...which I think is pretty darn cool.

The first reunion of the summer is always held on Fathers Day weekend at my Aunt Margie and Uncle Ray's house on the lake! It's the smaller of the two reunions, just 50 - 75 family members, depending on the year. I have a good friend that swears that I make up family memebers. She doesn't believe that there are that many people related to me! Made up or not...we have a pretty good time when we get together!

There's lots of swimming, boating, eating, drinking and of course, reminiscing with family that we haven't seen since the year before. I seem to "get it" a bit better now that I'm bringing my own family to these reunions. As a kid, it seemed like more of a chore to go...but I always ended up having fun!
It's a lot of fun to watch my children play with their cousins, younger and older, and dazzle the adults with their cute (and sometimes annoying) antics. I love introducing the IrishKids to some of the things I grew up loving: swimming in the lake, boating and skiing, and most importantly spending time with my best friends...my cousins! And honestly, I think it's one of Alan's favorite weekends. He hangs out with the guys all day and night...I hardly see him!
I realize that as Kit and Fionn get older, they too may go through the "reunions are boring" phase. But ultimately, I hope that they'll look back at those times with lots of laughs and great memories, the way that I remember the reunions from my younger years!