Celebrating Family

Our weekend in Minnesota was spent celebrating time with family. My Grandma and Grandpa Redmann were celebrating their 60th anniversary. They had a party at their home that drew family from far and wide. Montana, North Dakota, Texas and of course, Minnesota (and soon to be Hawaii) were all accounted for. We were only missing Chelsey in Colorado. Even some of the great aunts and uncles were there, many of whom I haven’t seen since Loran and my wedding.

Grandpa, Gail, Leo and Evelyn look at old family photos.

The girls had a great time playing with my cousin’s boys. They were running in and out, all over the yard and just having a great time. Most of the time, they were all torturing my dad. I don’t think he minded that much.

It seems that in recent years, our family gatherings have been centered around a major holiday. While it’s nice to get together, the holidays tend to be chaotic and people aren’t exactly relaxed, or always happy. Most of the holidays tend to be cold and even snowy so we’re all cooped up in the house. Even a large house, with 20+ people in it can get a little crowded. However, this mid-summer gathering was awesome! It reminded me of the family gatherings of my youth where we’d all gather at Great Grandma and Grandpa Hibbard’s house and eat under the giant maple tree. The kids would run around the land, explore the various sheds and outbuildings, climb around on old tractors and poke around the airplanes in the hangers. My great grandparents ran their own airport on their land, that is now adjacent to Champlin Park High School. As a child, I never saw it as special or different to be able to chase barn kittens around a Cessna. But looking back, that was pretty magical.

While there weren’t airplanes and tractors to run around, we were nestled under towering trees and scattered throughout the yard and in the house. The children ran, screamed and chased on another full of belly laughs. The adults conversed and caught up on life. It was a lot more relaxed and festive, harkening back to the gatherings of my youth that I always adored. With everyone becoming more and more spread out as the years pass, it was a great gathering. I’d hate to think it might be one of the last where we’re all together, but the reality is, it might be one of the last. My cousin Jacie, a budding photographer, took a bunch of family photos that I’m excited to see. Definitely a great celebration of 60 years of marriage.

The Sunday of our trip, we headed across town to White Bear Lake for some lake fun with my Dad’s side of the family. The weather reports had threatened rain and clouds all week, and lo and behold, the weather was perfect. Sunny, a little breeze and warm. God knew these Texans needed to spend some time on the water! We flew some balsa planes, kites, and fished off the dock. More specifically, the girls fished off the dock with Kathy and Rob, the only licensed fisherman.

Lily has mastered that far-off look achieved while waiting for a bite.

Ella’s not so sure about fishing. But there’s one thing she does like…boating!

We took a fun ride around the lake with everyone on board. Ella came up front and sat in the very front of the boat. She squealed and giggled as we went fast and the front lifted, wind in her hair. She pretended she was driving. I was surprised by her bravery, even when we drove into our wake and swamped the front of the boat, she was all giggles and excitement. Lily fell asleep in my lap, except when we were bumping fast across the lake, then she was a little grumpy.

The girls played in a kiddie pool, the adults chatted and grilled. We enjoyed steaks and all the fixings. Dessert was shortcakes representing each state, with Hawaii as the biggest (I feel this could have been switched…) but we were celebrating the Hawaiians.

At one point a metal detector came out, there was much nerding, and little metal finding. We put pjs on the girls as we left. Ella was asleep before we left downtown White Bear. Lily stayed awake the entire drive to Nana and Papa’s (40 minutes), singing songs and making up little stories.

A great weekend of family, making memories and celebrating past, present and future endeavors. The girls are so blessed to be able to have so many fun experiences. Playing with family, fishing, speeding across a large lake in a boat. Even though we’re far from family, it’s wonderful to be able to get together and really enjoy our time together.