Family Party - Fun Time

I just realized it's been a week since I have written. On Monday, our cousins from Arizona went back home and on Tuesday, my sister in law and her husband went back to California. We sure did have a lovely visit with them all. This is the first time since they have all been gone from Minnesota that they have been home at the same time, so it really was special. We had a fun party on Sunday, and I made it through the day, feeding everyone a good luncheon, and munchies all afternoon. We counted after, that we had 27 people, and most of them came at noon and stayed till almost 5. (When the honored guests had to leave for their HS Reunion gathering). I was busy on Satuday, shopping and cooking. I prepared mostly salads, and summer type fare, since I knew it would be hot, I didn't want to be cooking over a hot stove or oven. We had a good day weather-wise. It was hot, but the humidity wasn't as high, so it was bearable. We were able to be on the deck and in the house and be comfortable.

Our Granddaughter was lucky, Dawn's second cousin, who is about the same age as Dawn, has two little girls around Madelyn's age, they live in St. Paul. They came up for the party, they were here for the last family get together we had, so it's nice Maddy is getting to know them. Then our neighbor's grandchildren were visiting them and they have 3 granddaughters, ages 4 - 10, and so the girls all got together and played back and forth between the two yards and houses all afternoon. That was great fun for them all. It was also fun to have children running around the party. There was a period of time when there were no little ones around. The cousin from St. Paul's sister, Sienna, from Maryland, was visiting her parents (alone) so she was able to be there too. Great for Dawn that the three girls could be together. Sienna was wishing her two little girls were in town to add two more to the girls group!

Our daughter, Dawn, was a big help to me in getting things ready for the party. She questioned whether I had enough food, and I knew I did. In fact I had left-overs of everything. We would have been eating them all week, but on Sunday evening around 7 pm, my friend called. She had been on call for the weekend, she is a social worker. Knowing she was working, earlier I had invited her and her husband to stop over in the evening to eat supper. Anyhow, when she called on her way home, she told me that also her son, girlfriend and niece were at their house. I had her stop and I gave her some of everything I had for the party, except for the Italian Cream Cake I had as one of the desserts (that was gone). I didn't want her to have to cook at 7 pm at night. So, that helped her, and it helped us, not to be eating the food all week. I am so glad that I could help in that way!

We could have had 10-15 more there if the other cousins would have shown up. Part of Bob's relatives are family oriented and the other part are not. We always wish the others would come, but I'm finally starting to realize that maybe "family" is not as important to them, as it is for us. We feel badly not to see them, but I guess it's something we have to "get over", and realize that it's their loss, all we can do is invite and encourage them to attend family get togethers. It's their loss. We missed them, we had fun, and they missed the fun!

The cousins from AZ and CA sure did enjoy the party and they really appreciated that we had the get together. Bob and I were happy that we were able to do it. We had fun too! I told Frank there was no way that we wouldn't have had a get together for them, it was a natural things for me to do. When I go home to PA, someone always hosts a family gathering for me. It's a good way for me to see everyone at once, and spend the day visiting, and I always love those family gatherings. And, the family that attends always loves the get together too. I really appreciate the ones that put the party together for me, because I know it is a lot of work. So, of course I'm going to do the same for family that comes to Duluth to visit!

PS - got some great photos of the family, but don't want to post them, until I ask permission.