A Family Affair...

Friday night after work Mom came up and brought Lily. She and I did a few last minute things in preparation work Saturday's festivities and my poor husband worked his fingers to the bone for two days straight getting our front and back yard looking better than they've looked since we've lived there. All our projects were things we'd be NEEDING to do, but just hadn't had the initiative to do. We did kick back a little and open a bottle of this...(if you've never had this stuff, it's THE BEST red sparkling wine you will ever drink). We had some in Fredericksburg and I called the place and had them send Mom and I a bottle.

Saturday morning Mom and I got around and took the puppies for a walk and then ran a few errands and came back and started kitchen prep. One of my great aunt's showed up two hours early! Everyone else started arriving around 4 p.m. I, however, was unfortunately still in my athletic clothes and unshowered. I let Mom play hostess for awhile while I made a mad dash for the shower. We ended up having around 30+ family members. I was VERY pleased. Half the group set up shop in the dining/living room area and the rest outside on the porch. It was a beautiful evening and everyone had a great time.

The only matriarchs left in our family. Aunt Earlene, Aunt Shirley and Aunt Mary. There were 10 siblings in all.

Here's a group shot (minus Marty and me because we were the photogs).

The first cousins.

My younger cousins kept the puppies busy. It was great! They were SO worn out by the end of the night, though.

Here's Brynn and Brendan with Tyke and Lily.

Brendan and Lily having a moment. So cute!

Gage and the puppies.

Tykers at the end of the evening. I think we all felt the same way!

The food and fellowship were fabulous! We don't really have family reunions on either side of my family anymore so other than funerals we never all get together anymore. It was such a blessing! We had SO much food leftover so we had some more friends over Sunday after church to help us take care of them. There's something to be said for friends that you can have over for leftovers and not feel bad about it...

I sat down with my great aunt, Shirley, and went over some of her geneolgy research. I've never been into all of that, but the closer we get to having children the more I've started researching family names...I'm slightly addicted although, I don't really know what I'm doing. Shirley and her two daughters go back to Tennessee where our family originated and tour through the towns our family came from, the different family cementaries (I know it sounds slightly morbid, but they've traced several family members that way). My dad has always teased my mom about her "hillbilly relatives" from Tennessee and after doing a little investigating it turns out that his dad's side of the family came from Tompkinsville, KY, which is just about an hour and 15 minutes north of Cookeville, TN, where my mom's mother's side came from. Ironic isn't it?

That's probably way more family info than any of you wanted to know, but if any of you have any tips on geneolgy and how to go about researching it, I'd be ever so grateful!