Families Afloat

I apologize for the week long blog-break. The past week has been long and short, quick and slow all at the same time...strange how things work like that, huh?

When I have even just one day off of work I have to make sure things are in order, I don’t want to leave my co-workers with a mess to clean up. So, Wednesday and Thursday were rather stressful last week. On top of that I had to jam two days of my part-time job into one...Thursday was brutal.

The alarm clock forced me to wake up at 5:00am on Friday morning. I stumbled out of bed, mostly due to an aching Achilles Tendon, and managed to get ready for Mr. E to drive me to the airport in Newark. Lucky for us there was very little traffic and it was smooth sailing. I managed to purchase a breakfast sammich and coffee before boarding the tiny jet bound for Omaha. The flight was smooth and even though I had the pillow that still slightly smells like my parents house, ahhh...home, I wasn’t able to sleep a wink. Too much excitement! Remember when I told you how excited I was for the Dailey / Marrs Family Reunion?!

As we approached Nebraska I noticed a familiar quilt pattern of Midwestern farms, quite lovely. I was pleased with the small and friendly airport. I passed the awesome Omaha Steaks kiosk and retrieved my bag from the baggage claim, impressive quick service!

Mom was very excited to be in Omaha!

My parents arrived somewhat quickly with big hugs and smiles! I jumped in the front seat of the Caddy as we made our way South to Plattsmouth. We settled into The Fitzgerald Hotel on Main Street, grabbed some lunch, and napped. A wonderful afternoon, in my opinion, that led to a great evening of catching up with family at my cousins Kathy and Tim’s house on Beaver Lake. They were amazing hosts and the Gordon Family planned a fantastic reunion!

We made our way back to the airport around midnight to pick up brother. He hopped a flight from Tulsa to Denver to Omaha, seems normal to me, in order to meet up with us and the rest of the family.

Saturday was full of fun, catching up, and cardboard boats. Yes, you can successfully build a boat out of cardboard and a few more materials that will carry an adult in water, very well in fact! Just ask my team, the winners! If you need a tutorial on how this can be done let me know.

Marrs Clan Building our boat

Nate talking with our Great Aunt Alma

Our Captain ready to race!

Victory!

First Place!

Our Trophy!

Dad, Me and Mom

Brother and Me

I don't know that I could properly put into words how wonderful it is to have so many people in one group that love each other so much. Many of us keep up on Facebook and see each other just once a year, if we are lucky. We gather for the joy of reunions and weddings, comfort each other as we grow old and say goodbye to the ones we have lost. We live in many states ... Oklahoma to New Jersey, Kansas to Massachusetts, Nebraska to Washington, Arizona to Tennessee, Texas to California.  We welcome new members with open arms and watch as the little families within the larger one grow.

This was our 28th reunion and the group is larger than when we started back in 1985. My baby brother was actually a baby, my grandparents were young, and my parents weren't as old as I am now. No matter how much I complain about the little things or how much my heart hurts from the negatives of this crazy world, I know that there is family. This group and the family on my Mother's side has helped make me who I am and I am grateful.

I am counting the days until our reunion next year!

Until then ... all are welcome to visit me in the NJ / NYC area ... I have a spare bed with your name on it!