Every year, my husband's family (which, to be fair, is my family since we've been married for so long) has a reunion on Labor Day weekend. It generally starts on Friday night and goes through Sunday evening and the schedule is as follows:
Friday night (7pm - whenever): Sit around, drink gin and tonics, maybe hang out at a fire if the hosts offer such a thing, and just settle in.
Saturday morning: A lot of people golf, starting between 8-9am. By my rough count, there were 10 adults and six kids (under 18) golfing. The rest of us meet up at the host's house starting around ten. By my count, this was seventeen adults, twelve kids, and a very popular five-month old. There is a ton of snacky food and at noon, lunch is delivered. We eat and eat. For the last two years, we've offered a bounce house and slip and slide for the kids and this year bocce was oddly popular with the kids, as well. The golfers get back, eat lunch, and this next part is key.
Saturday late afternoon: Everyone else goes to church. We don't. We get to go back to wherever we're staying and enjoy peace and quiet.
Saturday night: Dinner and entertainment that usually involves a euchre tournament and possible bags/ladder golf tournaments.
Sunday morning: Absolutely nothing. A few hardcore golfers go out for super early tee times (I think this year it was before seven!), but the rest of us sleep in.
Sunday noon: Brunch.
Sunday 2pm: Softball game at a park at a reserved diamond. We have learned our lesson and always reserve a field.
Sunday 5pm: Dinner.
This is clockwork. It's what we do. We've done this for the last decade and a half that I've been going. Dr. BB tells me that there have been minor alternations to the schedule in the past (there used to be mini golf or shopping on Saturday afternoon, for example), but this is it.
We weren't going to make the Friday night activities this year because we couldn't drop Hannah the Dog off until 5pm and by the time we arrived, it was almost ten. So we stayed up late talking to Dr. BB's sister and her husband we hit the ground running on Saturday. Dr. BB took off for golf and I "helped" my SIL get her two kids ready for the day (her oldest was golfing and her youngest children do not need help). My niece (8yo) asked me to help her with her makeup and, after getting approval from her mom, we put on eyeliner and eyeshadow and blush and some lipstick and IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE.
(The only photo I took all weekend was of my niece post-makeover.)
Anyway. Saturday morning and early afternoon happened and it was fun. Dr. BB rode in a golf cart with his uncle who is absolutely my favorite and if he weren't thirty years older than me, I would give his wife a run for her money. I chatted with everyone and the slip and slide was a real hit, and I got a tour of my father-in-law and his wife's new house, and it was great.
Until everyone left for church. Dr. BB started to feel not great and we had to call it. Did he eat something with gluten? Is he stressed out about the start of the semester? Was it a 24-hour virus? Who knows. No more family fun for us. We went to bed by 8:30 and came home early the next day. What a letdown for all.
I'm glad we were able to enjoy Saturday, but I really hope this doesn't mean that we're not ever able to leave our house again because one of us will get sick!
Oh ugh! That's too bad. I hope he's feeling better (and that you escaped it because stomach bugs are the wooooooorst). Also? You had me at slip-and-slide and putting makeup on your niece.
ReplyDeleteI think it's absolutely wonderful how they have a reunion every year! How nice. And it's so great that you love them all so much. It sounds so fun.
He is feeling better, thank you! He felt so terrible and I know it sucks to be sick away from home, so I'm glad we came home early, but it was disappointing to miss all the fun..
DeleteToo bad about the late start and the early exit, but other than that what a fun weekend. I could hang out with my inlaws all day every day and never get bored.
ReplyDeleteIt's never boring, that's for sure. With so many people, there's always some new story to hear!
DeleteThat is a bummer that you guys had to leave early due to Dr. BB feeling ill. It sounds like this is an event that you both really enjoy. Having it down to a science is key for keeping it going! I have a large family but we do not have a set time for all of us to be together so it very rarely happens since we are kind of spread out. The last time we were all together was Jan of 2020 when we celebrated my parents' 50th anniversary at a resort in Minnesota. There are 19 of us total with spouses and kids so it's a huge group. But I have to say my husband struggles with the family gatherings... he grew up in a very small family and didn't seem to gather with his extended family much. My mom is 1 of 8 so I'm so used to big gatherings. Our Thanksgiving dinners could have as many as 40 guests! I have mixed feelings about everyone being together... it's less fun when you have young kids that need naps and don't sleep well. So while that get together in jan 2020 was fun, it was stressful for me because we were all in a giant house and Paul was waking up at 5 and clearly I could not let him cry (at home, if a toddler is up before 6, they stay in bed until 6). So I had to try to keep him quiet but that's tough with an almost 2yo. And it was January so there was no going for a long walk when it was subzero outside... I suggested we try to do another family gathering, but in the summer and with families in separate cabins, but no one seems to be open to this, or that is the sense I get! So who knows when we will all get together again!
ReplyDeleteYes, Labor Day is a struggle for people with young kids. Now that the kids are mostly older, aside from the 5-month old, they're pretty self-reliant and parents can relax a little bit. I think my sisters-in-law really struggled with nap schedules being off and random food everywhere for a few years, but now the kids have so much fun together!
DeleteMy husband is one of five and just his immediate family of his dad and his dad's wife, his siblings, their spouses, and their kids is twenty-four people. His dad is from a tight family (also five siblings), so it's always a large group. My extended family is also large (my mom is one of ten and my dad was one of five), but they don't do regular reunions anymore, so we're both used to the chaos of large family events.
Oh, what a shame! That's awful timing. I hope he's feeling better, and didn't pass it along to you.
ReplyDeleteHe's feeling better and I never felt sick, so all's well that ends well, I guess!
DeleteShoot, I'm so sorry you had to cut the weekend short!! That does sound like a really lovely time, otherwise though. I guess on the plus side, since it's a recurring event, you have next year to look forward to!! I'm glad you at least had a nice time on Saturday morning!
ReplyDeleteYes, there's always next year. It's just too bad because the kids change so much from year to year, so missing one Labor Day means I fall behind in what's going on in their lives.
DeleteWhat an affair! I have never heard of such a thing. I suspect and also hope that the health problems were one-offs.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite an event. The first year I went, I was absolutely astounded! But it's their tradition and it generally runs quite smoothly.
DeleteDarn. This sounds like such a fun weekend and I LOVE that the schedule is so specific each year. Sorry things went a bit haywire this time, but hopefully next year is doubly wonderful. The time with your niece sounds like a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteI have a sister-in-law who is really good with makeup who usually gets asked for the makeup parties, but she wasn't around that morning, so getting called in to do makeup was so much fun. I didn't even know I really wanted to do it until she asked and then we had so much fun, giggling and laughing. It was definitely a highlight of the weekend for me.
DeleteBummer! That is such a shame, because the Sunday schedule sounds so fun (sleeping late, brunch and softball- I want to come next year!) I hope you guys are both okay. The good news is- you still have many more years to enjoy this tradition!
ReplyDeleteYes, there is always next year! Everyone in the family prioritizes it and it's amazing how many people actually show up every year. Family attendance is usually well past 90%!
DeleteI always wished that my family (or my husband's family) would have something like this! We don't do vacations or any kind of reunions but it sounds so much fun to have a tradition. Hope that he's feeling better and that you don't get it!! 24 hour bugs are the WORST.
ReplyDeleteIt IS great that they have this tradition. The largest conference in our academic discipline is held over Labor Day weekend every year and neither my husband nor I have ever been because it would mean we can't go to the reunion! It's definitely nice that everyone in the family prioritizes it.
DeleteOh no! I hope the illness was short-lived and NEVER REPEATS. This sounds like so much fun, but I am kind of gobsmacked by the idea that it happens every year. Does everyone live in the same town (except you)? Does the same person host every year? And do they host EVERYTHING, from g&ts to brunch? That is a LOT of people! So wild!
ReplyDeleteOh, the logisitics! I should have written a bit more about that. Originally, it was held at one of my husband's aunt's house in Bloomington, IL. Everyone else had to travel and we all got hotel rooms in a block and there was lots of pool and arcade time. She was a pro and had binders full of recipes and grocery lists. But then she got sick and had surgery so one year it was moved to Des Moines, IA and a different aunt hosted. (For the record, Des Moines is like a million miles further for us and I did not like this change.) She got the binders and lists from the other aunt and we alternated Bloomington and Des Moines for a while.
DeleteThen, my husband's grandparents got too old to travel so we started hosting it in the town where they live and the hosting duties have slowly started to fall to my husband's brother and his wife who have a giant, hideous McMansion with a six car garage. The vast majority of the family live in this town, with the exceptions of the Bloomington and Des Moines families and there's my husband and I and another couple that lives in Kirkland, Missouri. They have actually started to cater things like lunch on Saturday and brunch on Sunday and other people bring desserts and the like. It's still A LOT to host, but everyone pitches in and it goes smoothly enough.
It IS wild and I guarantee you that it would not happen if I were asked to host it because I am not nearly organized enough and there is definitely not enough outdoor space at our house to host!
I love this family tradition!! It's so hard to get together now and then, so having it scheduled each year is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry your honey wasn't feeling well. I do hope that by now he's back to normal.
I too was wondering about the logistics of it all.
Yes, having the reunion reliably be the same weekend every year has been crucial in making sure it happens. It's also nice because Labor Day is a long weekend, but most people don't have big plans for it, so it works out nicely for people who work 9-5s.
DeleteThis sounds like such a fun family tradition! My extended really fell away from our traditions when our grandparents died, and now I'm realizing if I want to make new traditions, I have to be the one to coordinate! It's a weird feeling.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Dr. BB got sick during your weekend, though! What a major bummer.
I absolutely could not coordinate this reunion. There's way too much! But my SIL does it without looking stressed at all - she seems magical to me.
DeleteI love that you embrace these reunions. Not all family can do that - hang out for three days - but it would be totally up my alley (with my family, though - my in-law family is a different story LOL you got lucky!!)
ReplyDeleteI'm with San on this one - you certainly lucked out with your in-law family. :) I love my (now-ex) MIL but oh, the family dynamics were challenging for me, given the VAST differences between their family and my family of origin...
ReplyDeleteI am so, so sorry that Dr. BB (I think I abbreviated him to Dr. B in a previous comment -sorry!) was sick and that you had to leave early. It sounds like the right decision - that doesn't mean it wasn't hard to leave.
It is so fun that all those gatherings seem to have a somewhat rational routine. at times there are variations but it all is the same. So sorry you had to call it early this year.
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