Scott reunion

I picked up Rebekah, Analee and Miriam from Young Women Camp on Wednesday, July 20. I picked up Seth from the airport after his work trip even later on Wednesday, July 20. Everyone was home and ready to spend time with uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents during the Scott family reunion on Thursday, July 21.

My parents celebrated 50 years of marriage in May. The only thing they wanted as a present was to spend time with family. So nine months prior, we coordinated our schedules so everyone could be in town for three days of fun times. Unfortunately, Spencer couldn't make it, but the rest of the Neal and Annette Scott progeny made memories together.

I wanted to make Grandma and Grandpa's dreams come true, so I consulted them every step of the way as we planned this reunion. Grandma wanted to go to Tetonia. Grandpa wanted to build and shoot off rockets. They both wanted to eat together, play together, and help the cousins build meaningful relationships since Ethan's family lives in New Mexico and Jon's family lives in Meridian. We had to adjust our plans as we went because I didn't realize how long some things would take, but I think it turned out well.

Day 1: Thursday, July 21

First we met for breakfast at Grandma and Grandpa's house and said hello to everyone. Then we drove to Tetonia to take pictures and spend time on the Egbert family dry farm. Robert and Alice Egbert had a house and barn on the property, and my grandma grew up there. No buildings exist, and the land is about to be sold, so Grandma wanted to have family photos taken here before we explored the well and spring. 

Then we had lunch at a park before going to the cemetery to visit headstones, then to the house where my great-grandpa grew up. 

After spending most of the day in Tetonia, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner (and birthday cake for Oakley and Grandma) and to start constructing rockets.

Whole group photo. Everyone that belongs to the family minus Spencer.

The OG Scotts.

Winnie with a bunch of wildflowers she picked on the property.

Everyone near the house site.

Down by the spring property.

Winnie eating her lunch at the park.

Seeing the Egbert graves.

Day 2: Friday, July 21

We started the day with breakfast at Grandma and Grandpa's again before going to the zoo. We ate lunch at Jill's Chicken Shack in Iona, then floated the dry bed in Rigby (no pictures because you can't really take your camera/phone with you on a float trip) before having dinner at our house and playing a few family history games.

Miriam's feet were very sore from walking all over the dry farm/cemetery the day before, so we rented another wheelchair for her at the zoo.

Lunch at Jill's.

Grandma showing her wedding dress to the family. We played a "guess who" game with baby pictures and a family trivia game with questions written by ourselves before playing a wedding anniversary trivia game with questions written by Grandma and Grandpa. Then Grandma showed us wedding pictures and her dress.

Day 3: Saturday, July 22

Most of this day we spent at the church building where Grandpa and Grandma help with the Young Single Adult ward. We played softball and kickball in the field before it got too hot, then finished building our rockets, ate lunch (and got sprayed by the sprinklers that came on and watered the picnic shelter), then moved inside to play basketball/lighting, pickleball, etc. That evening we watched Lightyear at the St. Leon church building (where our ward meets), ate dinner, then shot our rockets off in the field. Only a few of them got lost forever. :-/

Finishing rockets. Each family had three rockets. Everyone in our family worked on the construction of all three rockets, then we used our phones to randomly selected who would pair up with whom to paint the rockets. 

We thought it would be fun if all our rockets fit within a "Teen Girl Squad" theme (from the Strongbad emails at Homestar Runner). Rebekah and Ana's was "Tompkins." Miriam and Winnie's was "The Ugly One." Seth's and mine was "Lil Brudder."

Playing pickleball in the gym. I don't know if that gym's air conditioning worked. It was nearly as warm inside as it was outside.

Dinner at the church after watching our movie.

Shooting off rockets. We had a couple of miracles with our family's rockets. First of all, Rebekah and Ana's rocket shot farther north than the church field. I eventually drove over to Par Tee Lane to see if I could help them find their rocket. Ana finally did ... in the backyard of a house on the north side of the street. We couldn't believe it had gone so far. Then Miriam and Winnie's rocket went a little south of the field. Seth searched and searched through the tall weeds and grass of the mostly empty lot, but to no avail. I finally joined them to see if I could help. Seth and Winnie went back to the church field. Miriam and I said a prayer behind a shed. I asked her a few questions about where she had been, then I climbed through a barbed wire fence and walked in a straight line, looked down, and saw the bottom of her rocket poking out of the ground. It didn't fly again, but at least they were able to bring it home.