2008 Reunion Memories

hese are our memories of the 38th Holdaway Family Reunion:

1. When we first walked into the dining hall, Anthony asked, "Where are all the beds?"
2. Conversation Sunday morning @ breakfast after Julie asked Mary Jo to hold Claire: Claire: crying and burying her face in her hands while sitting on grandmama's lap. Mary Jo: "Claire, you are going to have to learn to deal with adversity; someday you will have to take over this reunion because we'll all be dead." Karen: "Yes, Claire; we're counting on you and Grace and Maria to continue this reunion because we will just be a face on a T-shirt." Danny M. "Don't tell her that! She's just a baby; you'll give her a complex!"
3. Did anyone count the number of coolers? It had to be a record!
4. Eddie and Stacey missed this reunion because they were honeymooning.
5. Lauren organized a game of capture the flag for the kids to play in the big field.
6. Ann Marie, Joe G, Johnny R., Michael G., Chris P., Lauren and Claire entertained us Saturday evening with music and singing.
7. Anthony, Matthew and Andrew helped fold and drag chairs for Bruce as he helped with Sunday clean-up. They all had a blast.
8. Apples to Apples was played all weekend.
9. Claire (Gallagher, not Hodge) woke up at 3:20 am Saturday morning (20 minutes after we all went to bed) and would not go back to sleep. Instead, she spent until daylight crying and playing in the van with mommy and then was fascinated by the "doggies" (racoons) outside playing with all of our stuff.
10. Andrew caught a huge fish.
11. Jon & Robin Robbins made some new desserts. Yummy!
12. The heat...so hot inside the mess hall Saturday night, but so nice sitting in front of the shelter listening to the music.
13. We played 6 handed euchre every night. Kelsey & Alexis learned Euchre this year.
14. We missed Bob Plummer’s popcorn :(
15. Thursday and Friday were quite comfortable, while it sure heated up for Saturday. It only rained Friday morning while a large group awaited to head to Holiday world.
16. Gabe going potty (on his potty, in the mess hall), cause the 2-way radio told him to.
17. Saturday night Mary Jo, Karen, Alice, Christi, Julie and Kathy soaked their feet in a pan of ice water from a cooler. (The same pan used to make the worlds largest 7-layer salad.)
18. It was the year for new reunion shirts; blue tye-dye.
19. The kids searched all weekend for the tiny frogs.
20. Mark, Cindy, Jeanne Degler, and Jo Ann listed all Hazel’s children & grand-children’s full names & birthdays. We’ll send it to Michele– for record keeping.
21. Marie Martin doesn’t have a middle name – (We figured that 1. Ed & Jo Ann ran out of names, 2. she has “THE” middle name- there are 6 of Hazel’s grandchildren with the name “Marie”, 3. Jo Ann Milligan doesn’t have a middle name either)
22. Aunt Barbara to Anthony, "Good night; don't let the bedbugs bite." Anthony (in a quivering voice), "I hope they won't."
23. Saturday Night Campfire until 6am with Chris (Kel’s BF) Brian R, Robin, Alexis, and Kelsey.
24. Danny & Jayne camped in their pop-up camper; Danny & Barb camped in their new RV. David and Maria also had a new RV for their crew.
25. We celebrated Mark's 50th birthday. He received a scrapbook from his mom and siblings.
26. Other birthday milestones: David Holdaway, Aunt Jo Ann Milligan.
27. Aunt Jeanne realized that Cindy’s mom & Aunt Jeanne’s sister have the same birthday.
28. The toilet ran over in the Women’s restroom.
29. Maria (Paynter, not Hodge) stripped naked in between the dining hall and the kitchen during lunch prep. Uncle Ray was speechless as he pointed and tried to get Cindy's attention to help her out.
30. Mike Milligan fishing in the parking lot during the music performance.
31. Aunt Barbara trying to explain the unisex bathroom symbol, "it for multi-sexual use."
32. When Matthew, Andrew, Anthony and Mary Jo were hiking and catching really big bass, they saw a huge RV driving towards the family group camp. Mary Jo thought, "those poor people are really lost." and was close as it was David Hodge. He has come to the reunion in every kind of vehicle known to man but that RV really took the cake. The only way he can top that would be to arrive next year either in the Space Shuttle or in a stagecoach drawn by 8 horses!
33. Joey spraying from across the room Matthew with the Kitchen dish sprayer.
34. Cindy & Joe’s friends came – Jon & Robin Robbins. Ashley Robbins & Michael Rosswurm are friends. We realized that once Michael & Ashley are married….Michael will be able to say that he attended the birth of his wife. (Cindy was pregnant with Michael & was in the delivery room with Robin when Ashley was born) Weird……
35. Joe R. was offered to join a foursome with Mary Jo, Alice, and Karen (the three of them were sharing a cabin). He was speechless, as he had never received an offer like that before.
36. Will (Tori's BF) cut his foot playing in the field... running around barefoot in the dark!
37. Discussed that Aunt Barbara and Uncle Ray will have a grandchild in every grade this school year.
38. Saturday Night Music - Ann Marie & Lauren playing the eggs, Joey, Johnny, and Mike G playing guitar, Chris Paynter playing tambourine (and he stretched his wrists to warm-up), and Mike G’s awesome harmonica in “Piano Man”. Several singers that I missed-perhaps someone else will provide those memories.
39. This is the year Drew received his nick name of "Blondie". This was his first time driving to the reunion by himself, well, Jade and Lucy were in the car too. Anyway, you all heard the story, he left about two hours before Gus and I left, so we were certain he'd arrived at Lincoln or Holiday World as planned. LOL to our surprise, Drew called us, just as we were heading west on 64, to let us know he was "at the campus and now which road did he take?" Oops Drew...we're not going to McCormack's Creek, we're going to LINCOLN STATE PARK this year, you know, by HOLIDAY WORLD. So, he didn't believe me when I said he had to go back to Sellersburg (almost home) and take I-64 WEST. He had Jade call their NANNY for the right directions. Seven hours and $60.00 worth of gas later Drew aka Blondie and Jade and Lucy arrived at the family reunion safely. Of course, they never made it to Holiday World. Gus (Dad) rode back to Louisville with them the next day, just to make sure they MADE IT!