Family Reunion 2010

My family rocks. That's all there is to it. Words cannot express how profoundly thankful I am for the family I come from. They're the best. These people all make appearances on my blog from time to time, but I thought it would be fun to do some formal introductions. Last month we were able to spend a weekend together at a rental cabin in Island Park and we got a lot of great pictures, so this is a good chance to do it.

These are my parents.

My daddy is a nuclear technician at the INL. He is a fishing afficionado and outdoor enthusiast. He is a also a repair guy extraordinaire. He loves walking, bicycling, listening to and playing Mozart (on the piano), the History channel, shooting, and learning about early American explorers. He is singly devoted to his life as a husband, father, and grandfather.

My mom taught elementary school for almost ten years before she got married and started making babies. She is very vivacious and loves music, literature, cooking, and learning about new things. She enjoys watching professional tennis and all BYU sports and does so very passionately-- there is always a lot of whooping and screaming when Mom's sports are on. All I want out of life is to be the sort of mother my mom was for us.

My parents are both active members of the LDS church.

These days, with the kids out of the house, Mom and Dad love to go on trips together, generally exploratory expeditions of the surrounding mountains, rivers, streams, and lakes. During the summer, they'll frequently load up the camper and take off for the weekend. While they travel Mom reads aloud to Dad, they listen to music, they play card games, they fish, and they talk and laugh. After almost 35 years of marriage, they're still best friends.

They are also the best grandparents. Soren spends several hours a day at their house most days of the week and LOVES it there. My sister's kids (more about them later) often spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's.

This is my sister, Collette, her husband, Marty, and their four kids (l-r: Calysta, 11; Arielle, 14; Tessa, 8; and Marty, 10). Best. Family. Ever. I practically fall over dead from the cuteness of this family every time I go to their house. Collette and Marty are freakishly good parents and have done a really great job of fostering their childrens' natural curiosity and creativity. It seems like the kids are forever learning about new things, coming up with games, reading books, and making fantastic artistic creations. Also, they all love each other, play with each other a lot, and genuinely enjoy each others' company. During a recent visit, Tessa was sneaking up behind people and sticking "Hug Me" and "Kiss Me" signs on their backs.
That's the Smiths.
It should be sickening, but somehow it's not.

Seth is my oldest brother and Karen is his wife. They were made for each other. I'm not going to lie....I'm not entirely clear on what they do professionally. Seth does stuff with technical things in a supervisory fashion. He's currently working on a Master's degree in school counseling. Karen also does technical work with things. Outside of work, they spend a lot of time fly fishing. Karen is also an amazing cook. They love each other lots. I would go on, but I think you should just read Karen's blog. It rocks my world.

This is my brother Scott, his lovely wife, Amanda, and their adorable baby, Charlotte.
Scott is a cool techno guy at Exxon in Houston, Texas, and Amanda stays home to nurture Charlotte and their myriad pets. They are cat people. They also love each other lots. Also, Charlotte is really really ridiculously cute and smiley and adorable.
I also wish they didn't live so far away, the jerks.

And this is me! The baby of the family! And my family! Ya'll are probably fairly familiar with us, so I won't go on much.

Everybody now!

And now for some pictures from the trip. There was an excursion to Mesa Falls and another to Yellowstone National Park.