...i needed a clever title for my annual family reunion in the little town of lynd, mn. this is such an amazing experience. it is every year, but this year was exceptionally special. i'm not sure where to start...so i'll just dive right in.... and yes, the fire alarm did go off where part of our family was was staying because of the humidity. ...
my cousin's michael & erran decided that this year we would have a family mushball game ( like softball- the ball is just a bit bigger so you don't need a mit) and our great grandparents house where we stay is next to a baseball field. they had shirts made up for everybody (50 total) - which was so much fun to see everyone wearing them - actually four generations of the family all wearig matching shirts. (and in this picture we are still missing all the photographers....) we kinda take over this little place when we come to visit every year. i think the population of lynd is like 300 hundred people. in it's obvious when we are in town, the big house on the corner all of a sudded has 15 cars parked in front, and crazy vanstroms (that's our family name) running around. -sometimes in matching clothes. the back of our softball shirt says "a family that plays together stay together" - which is hilarious cause the house in the background of the picture is where almost all of us sleep, so we really do stay together. this is definelty a new tradional for us- the softball/mushball game was tons of fun...just a little confusing -imagine both teams all wearing the same shirt.
i also had to post the picture (even though my grandma is not fond of having her picture taken) she was wearing my cousins sunglass - she looks great for 95! (excuse my dad's silly face)
every year we usually do these skits for everybody about different events in someones life, or write funny songs we all sing together. this year we didn't have much free time to do this, since there was just so much going on....after we celebrated some birthdays, my cousin's boyfriend said he had an announcement ( now just a little history - boyfriends are not allowed to come to lynd that's part of the rules....along with no drinking in the house, no putting pennies on the railroad tracks, no going up the street to the lyndwood bar, no smoking behind the chicken coop, no telling the aunts about the bat that was flying around the attic......but of course these have all be broken) anyways scott went on to thank us all for the wondering weekend, and then proceeded to reach into his pocket, at which time everybody started shrieking in the room, and then he proposed to my cousin. there wasn't a dry eye in the room - and how exciting that all of us were a part of it - just another reason why lynd is such a special place. and pretty gutsy to propose in front of 40+ family members....