Reunion at Brian Head

The Kane County fire forced the evacuation of the area where the lodge was located in which we were to be staying for my family's summer gathering.  Some last minute scrambling produced a set of town homes at the Brian Head resort that belonged to a client of my brother's.  Lance is a realtor, and after enjoying the amazing accommodations of the homes at Brian Head, we joked that he wouldn't want to work very hard at selling the properties for his client so they would be available for our family reunion next year, too. 

Our huge family fit so comfortably in the two homes.  We could spread out for crafts and the children's treasure hunt, or we could pile into the movie room to watch a show on the big screen.  Mostly, we ate delicious meals, sat around to visit, and teased my sister, Cheryl, about all of the ideas from Pinterest that she was implementing on the trip.  It was all so much fun.

Ella wanted to hold her baby cousin, Amelia,

who is a year younger and a bit larger than she is.

Dallin was given charge of this cute group for the the treasure hunt.  He was so

sweet to slowly walk to each new clue while holding hands with Addie and Garrett.

While moms were making really pretty bracelets with expensive

craft supplies, children were kept content with the fixings for their own.

Because of the new location, we were very close to Cedar Breaks National monument, so we took advantage of seeing those breathtaking sights just before hitting the road to head back home.

Here are the amazing views that Ella was captivated by:

So lovely, don't you think?

Park rangers had special equipment set up that

allowed us to view solar flares and sun spots.

After a presentation on mountain lions, the park rangers brought out a bobcat pelt to look at.  Garrett was a little unsettled about being stared down by the dead animal.

No family gathering would feel complete without helping

 Grandpa empty a box (or two) of citrus flavored tic-tacs.

We had been on the road for maybe ten minutes when

the exhaustion from all the excitement of the reunion set in. 

It's always hard to give final hugs before saying goodbye. Man, I love my family.  They are pretty darn cool.

This post authored by Amber