Family Reunion

This year our McCombs family reunion was in Tennessee. It was about a 16 hour drive for us. In our new Hyundai Elantra, we got 38 miles per gallon which just made us feel happy for the whole drive. The kids were pretty happy in the car, though we did have some issues with Scotty. He's been struggling in the car ever since we got him a booster seat. His old carseat had a place for him to lean his head so he could actually fall asleep. But we bought the cheapest booster seat at Walmart which is literally just a seat. It would totally be worth it to buy the more expensive model that comes up behind his back and head. We'll have to do that before we drive to Utah/Idaho for the holidays.

Anyway...it was mostly a good drive. We listened to The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Shannon Hale. It was fun for the whole family. We also bought all of our food on the road (minus snacks) instead of trying to pack food with us. We were surprised to discover that all of our eating out only cost $70. We definitely got sick of fast food, but it was sure nice not to have to worry about planning meals ahead of time.

The reunion itself was awesome! We all stayed in this humongous cabin together. Here was our view. You can see why they are called the Smoky Mountains. Photo cred to Phil for the amazing second one.

All of the couples had their own separate bedroom and then there were two rooms with four queen beds each for all of the grandkids. It was seriously a cabin of mammoth proportions. The top floor also had a game room where Scotty spent most of his time. There was air hockey, pool, and this old-school arcade game thingy. The kids loved it. There were hot tubs, too. So everyone was happy and entertained. And so much food! For the meal we provided, I'm pretty sure I bought exactly twice as much food as we actually needed. We ate leftovers on the last day and we still ended up throwing a lot away. But, as I like to say, too much is always better than not enough.

We McCombses like our talent shows. This year we had singing and piano playing and ballet and Fritz von Steier.

Later in the weekend there was also some family singing. The Van Trapped Family Singers together again. It was so great to sing all of our old classics--Somewhere Out There, Alleluia, Grandma's Feather Bed, I Want to Take My Horse and Buggy. We sounded good! We still got it. And I will never forget my mom leading all of the grandkids in Found a Peanut. 

We also did a little sightseeing in Sevierville, Dolly Parton's hometown. Some went to Dollywood, the theme park. Some went to the Dixie Stampede and some went to the aquarium. We were going to take our kids to the aquarium but there was an unbelievable line to get into it. Phil and Kelsey had bought tickets ahead of time and had to get in the guest services line which was much, much shorter. But we were still only going to spend about an hour inside (for $30 per person). So Felicia and Phil and Kelsey took our kids inside while Aaron and I wandered around like tourists. It was fun for us, and our kids had a blast in the aquarium. 

But it was all downhill from there. Phil and Kelsey spent more than two hours stuck in the parking garage. We found out that all of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not attractions (one of which was the aquarium) were only $10 for Tennessee residents that day. We're pretty sure every person in Tennessee was there. Phil and Kelsey missed the Dixie Stampede because of it, but they were able to get their money back.

We also took a family hike. Outside of the Rocky Mountains, the word hike is used a bit more loosely. It was a nature walk. I'm sure there are some intense Appalachian hikes, but this one was easy and beautiful. Perfect for a family reunion. And there was a waterfall at the end. Oh, and it was pouring rain as we drive to where the hike started, but then it was just a tiny bit of drizzle and coolness for the actual hike. Because of the rain, we had the trail almost to ourselves. And the bears. Some hikers saw actual bears. I left my little family sleeping while I went on this hike. I felt bad because everyone on the hike was having such a good time, but the sleep made Aaron and Annie and Scotty happier for the rest of the trip.

On Sunday we went to church in Sevierville where we executed a painless family photo. Oh, I love these people!

It's so cute to see cousins becoming friends. Jack and Annalise were so sweet.

On Sunday night we ate as much food as possible, played games, and had a little family devotional. It was so much fun to stay together in the same place. Sure, we were in each other's space somewhat, but it was special to really be there together. Somehow it just reminded me of growing up together at home. I'm so grateful I got to grow up in this family.  

And I just want to end by saying that both of my kids wet their pants while we were at the reunion. For Scotty this wasn't a big surprise, but it did happen more often than usual, and it was a surprise with Annie the seven year old who hasn't wet her pants in years. This was significant to me because they were having so. much. fun. playing with cousins and running around and making memories that they forgot to go to the bathroom! That is seriously a good time. Hooray for the 2017 McCombs Family Reunion!