My sister, Lynette, and I were able to plan a Ostler Reunion for the 4th of July weekend now that there are two of us in Provo, Utah. The Freedom Festival provided part of the activities, but we also created some of our own.
When the word went out that we were planning this family gathering there was much chit chat via the Internet especially after we asked for suggestions for activities. Lynette and I took some ribbing as quilting and quilt shop hop popped up.
We knew that we had to have some kind of quilt related activity, but what to do?
We pondered and thought and then received inspiration, a Quilting Bee unlike any other quilting bee.
So after a yummy 4th of July barbecue with hamburgers, Lynette's version of J Dawgs, and cedar plank grilled salmon to die for, the Bee began. We hung 16 quilts on the deck and provided a guide with numbers 1 - 16. There was also a list of quilt patterns with lower case letters. The participants' task was to match the correct letter to the correct number. Thank heavens for Rosie's Schnibbles patterns with their odd names. They increased the difficulty level. You may wonder why we had so many participants.
The grand prize was $100. Since so much was at stake, we collected all hand held devices so that they couldn't google quilt pattern names.
My nephew, Mark, in the stripped shirt won! He correctly identified 12 of 16! My son, David, came in a disappointing 2nd with 11 of 16. It all made perfect sense that they did so well as these two really are the most logical thinkers in the family.
There was still some money available for the most push ups, wall sitting, the best story about one of the original Ostler siblings, and family history quizzes. There wasn't a prize for those who had traveled the farthest but perhaps there should have been. Many had traveled far, some from New York City, one from southern Texas, some from Albuquerque, and a bunch from Arizona.
As evening approached, there was a splitting of ways. Some of the older cousins attended the Stadium of Fire with Carrie Underwood. The younger cousins gathered on the grass in front of the Provo Temple for some Grandpa Glen inspired activities and fireworks viewing from a distance of those at the Stadium. Heather made fruit pizzas for dessert.
Glen had bubble guns, balloon rockets, balls, and light up toys to keep the troops busy while they waited for dark.
It was a a beautiful summer Utah evening. And the fireworks, as always, were awe inspiring.
Since we had all enjoyed a pretty late night, the next morning's activity was called "Brunch at the Park." Glen and I had reserved a pavilion at South Fork Park up the canyon from the Vivian Park turn off in Provo Canyon. Since we had the biggest pavilion, we also told everyone that they could invite their in-laws for a giant pot luck. We had a great group of people all interconnected through marriage. I just love how a family grows and grows.
The most active part of the morning was the "Battle for Bunker Hill." The Bunkers first took control of the hill. There were "snowballs" involved and a hit meant that you were either off the hill or had to start over. Glen invented this game. He also somersaulted down the hill when his sneaky attack from the back resulted in too much momentum. I sure wish someone had gotten a picture of that.
The battle was a hit.
In more ways than one.
There were also a few water balloons flying, other games, and lots of children adventuring down the stream. I seriously love this park in the mountains.
After a break for naps and movie going, everyone regrouped at our townhouse for game night.
I remembered how they all use to be little cousins who really enjoyed each other . . .
and now they are grown up cousins, some with spouses and children, who still enjoy each other.
It really doesn't get much better than that, except for the homemade vanilla ice cream with berries and assorted BYU Creamery ice cream selections in the kitchen.
We managed to sleep and shower all 45 or so of them in our two Provo houses. I counted 25 bodies prone somewhere in my house on Saturday night. Heather commented that the only place you couldn't find a body was in the bathroom. It was sad when everyone began packing up and moving out on Sunday. There really isn't anything like family with all our shared memories and love and family support. Only one sibling was missing and that is because she was made a new grandma in Oregon on July 3rd. New babies always take precedence!
I borrowed many of these pictures from others' FB postings. Thanks guys! There are a few more that I would like to share.
Grandpa Glen's fishing crew on Thursday morning.
He always takes them to the trout farm in Spring Lake because they provided the poles, tackle, and clean them up. We had a fish dinner that night. Glen asked the trout farm family how they like to prepare their trout. They told them that the marinate them in Italian dressing before grilling. So we tried it and had our fish half marinated and half breaded and fired in butter. Both ways were hits!
And a couple more shots of the clan at the parade on Friday morning.
Many thanks to Glen and Toby who went at 5 am to snag a good spot with shade. Good times!
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