Wheeler Family Reunion at Bear Lake

Gracie and I had a great time with my parents this last weekend. My aunt Kathy planned a family reunion at Bear Lake.  My aunt Kathy and Uncle Norm have a barn and lots of land there.

We left Friday morning very early.   We arrived at lunch time and had lunch and raspberry shakes.(a must in Bear Lake)  After lunch we went and found Norm and Kathy's barn.  It was not much but still cool. The barn was like a garage with an upstairs that had a kitchen and 2 bunk beds.  No Bathrooms though but they had a toilet with an incinerator.

After the barn sighting we went to the cabins my aunt had rented for us. Where was 10 one room one bathroom cabins.  My aunt had rented all of them out for the weekend.  After unloading all out stuff, we launched our boat at North Beach.  It wasn't a really great day for boating. Very cloudy and windy.  Gracie was excited until we hit a wave and it splashed on her.  This I think was her first time on our parents boat.  We drove for a little while and then started to look a shore to find the spot where everyone was at on the beach.  It took a long time but we finally found it.  We beached the boat and eventually people in the family showed up.  We spent most of the day on the beach freezing in the wind.  Me thinking that it was going to be hot did not bring Gracie and I a jacket.  So dumb.  I also didn't bring any pants for us.  Just to let you know that it does get pretty cold at night there.  Luckily my parents were nice enough to go to town and get us sweat shirts.  They were gone a long time trying to find them.

While they were out and about, Gracie and I stayed at the beach.  It was so fun chatting with my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

At dinner time we all returned to the cabins and had a wonderful catered dinner by my aunt Kathy. Afterwards a family picture and of corse S'mores.

When it got really dark we all went to the field next to the barn for a firework show.  First was the scary lighting or the fire. Norm thought  it was a good idea to dump some gas on the logs.  Needless to say there was a big whoosh and the fire got pretty close to us.

Fireworks were a little scary too.  Most of them were lit 5- 10 feet away from us.  There was one time that one of the aerial fireworks fell over and launched right at the audience.  It was very thrilling and entertaining.  I did burn a hole in the blanket my dad gave me.

After fireworks was bed.  Kathy had not planned on some of the people who came so Gracie and I shared a cabin with my parents. It was fine until about 2 in the morning.  Gracie has a tendency to move a lot when she sleeps.  Unfortunately I was the one sleeping with her.  There were a lot of kicks and slaps that night.  Not only was I being hit and kicked, both my parents were snoring.  I got the idea that if there was no one in the cabin we were going to stay in, I would commandeer it for the night. Luckily I was right and was able to sleep much better.

Morning came and the Holt family was in charge of breakfast. It was delouses!  After breakfast back to the beach for more fun.  One of the things I like about Bear Lake is that you can drive on the beach to the water.  We set up a canopy and lots and lots of sun umbrellas.  We got not the boat with one of my cousins families and aunt Kathy.  We went tubing.  I Like watching people tube much more than doing it.

Gracie got scared when the boat turned.  We had tried to leave her with my mom for a nap that morning.  My mom had to prepare a gospel doctrine class for sunday.  My dad and I left them at the cabins and took my cousins family out tubing.  Well our plan of her getting a nap did not work.  She was laying down on the bed but never went to sleep.  Needless to say she was very grumpy.

After picking my mom and Gracie up we ate lunch. After lunch more tubing.  We took my cousin and her husband next.  We then found another boat with family in it and switched people.  We exchanged our cousins on the boar for another cousin of mine and his wife and my single cousin who just returned from his mission.   More tubing.

Gracie fell asleep during the first cousins run.  She woke up at the exchange.  Gracie had not been drinking very much that day and we very hot.  We then decided to take a swim in the lake. She really liked it.  I loved the water.  So blue and clear.  What a beautiful lake.

Back to the beach for more visiting.  Gracie had a great time building sand castles with grandma.

I was so thankful for the porter potty my uncle had at the edge of his field.  We became very close friends.  I also was grateful for the E$ wheelers that my uncle had.  Yes the porter potty was at the edge of the field but it still wasn't to close.

After chatting everyone packed up and left.  Some stayed over until Sunday, but most went home.  We had to leave because I had to lead the music in Relief Society in the early morning and my mom had to teach gospel doctrine too.

We packed everything up, loaded the boat, and started home.

I had so much fun.  I hope the we do this every year. Everyone had a blast so I think it will be that way.  So good to see all my mom's side.  Thanks to everyone for contributing.  Thanks also to my mom and dad for taking us.

This weekend has really helped me and my dad reconnect. I'm so grateful for that.