Tomorrow I am going to the Wagner Family Reunion.  We have these reunions every 2 years and I always look forward to seeing my extended family.  We also have reunions with the Richard families that are equally enjoyable.   This year we are going to the Ponderosa  lodge at Zion National Park.  I am very excited to relax by the pool, read lots of books and spend time with  my family.

One of the best things that my parents did while raising us is to make sure we developed relationships with our extended family- cousins, aunts, uncles etc.  This was particularly difficult because my family lived in Maryland while everyone else lived in either California or Utah.  When other families took vacations to beaches and theme parks, my parents focused on trips to California and Utah.  It was important to them that we had a relationship with our grandparents and cousins.

On the Wagner side it was particularly nice because there are 8 of us girls within a 10 year age gap.  Everyone else has gotten married and started families but for a while we were all going through the same experiences together.  It was fun to talk about college, dating and other issues at the family reunions.  My cousin Lisa and I were very close before she passed away.  I was lucky to spend a lot of time with her including a trip to New York with my Grandmother that I will never forget.

After Lisa passed away I ended up rooming with her sister, my cousin Julia.  We ended up living in an apartment with my great friend Emily Alvillar (now Whitman) and my sister Megan.  It was one of the defining moments of my life.  I’ve written about it before but at a time when we were all grieving, finding each other was truly a miracle.  During that time Julia also met and married her husband and that was a fun experience to be a part of.

Since college I have not had the daily contact with my cousins but I still enjoy hearing about their experiences and families.  This makes catching up on all I’ve missed over the last two years one of the best things about the reunion. Plus, I have been craving a day off.  The last month I have been working 60-70 hour work weeks trying to get tenants in the short and long-term houses, keep up with house maintenance and working on Grabber accounting 30 hours a week!  It has been exhausting.  I feel wrung out and tired.  I can’t wait to relax by the pool and soak in some sun!  If there is bad weather I think I will cry.

It will be great seeing my cousins and I am going to work on my photography, so I should have photos to post after the reunion.  In the meantime enjoy your week and weekend!  I will post next week.