Pieper Family Reunion

This past weekend we had the Pieper family reunion and it was a lot of fun. It went from Thursday through Sunday but we weren't able to make it until Friday afternoon. We were hoping to leave Thursday around 5:00 pm but we didn't head out until 9:00 pm. Luckily we weren't going too far (Pocatello). We didn't arrive there until 12:30 am but it worked out because the kids were tired so they slept the majority of the time.

We were so worn out the following morning so we "slept in" until 8:00 am and took our time getting there. We arrived in Island Park around 12:30 pm. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about the sleeping arrangements because we had been told that we were going to be in a bunk house where everybody was going to be staying together. I was nervous that my kids would be too noisy at night and keep everyone awake but it wasn't bad at all.

We had a great time visiting with all the relatives and getting reacquainted with all the cousins and their kids, and aunts and uncles. There weren't a lot of planned activities, which allowed us to visit and have a great time just relaxing. The only problem was the dang mosquitos. Luckily my sister and brother-in-law thought to bring mosquito repellent, which they kindly let us use. The food was great and atmosphere couldn't have been any better.

We were about 45 minutes outside of West Yellowstone so we took a quick trip in and were able to hear some stories about Grandma Pieper while she worked there playing the piano.

I would have to say that the highlight of the trip was definitely seeing Grandma Pieper and how happy she was. She can't really talk anymore and she has a hard time seeing and hearing but she was so happy! Bekka, Jeff's cousin, stays and Grandma's house and takes care of her and she does such a wonderful job. I am sure it is a hard job but a rewarding one at the same time. Bekka got Grandma some sort of device that had headphones on it and makes it so Grandma can hear a lot better. It was amazing because it was obvious that she could hear what was going on and she was in the heighth of her glory. She is such a special lady and I am so glad that she was able to make it to the reunion and see her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren gathered around to spend time together.

Pieper kept going up to Grandma and taking her hand, which Grandma thoroughly enjoyed. Grandma would put Pieper's hand up to her mouth and kiss it. I am not really one to cry but it brought tears to my eyes because it was obvious how much she loved Pieper and how happy she was to be up there amongst her posterity. I am so happy that we were able to take time out of our busy schedule and spend the time with everyone. We had a great weekend and it was a lot of fun.

As I have gotten older I have realized more and more that there is nothing more important than family. I love spending time with my family and Jeff's family and I always look forward to the time that we can spend together. My family and Jeff's family are some of my best friends and I don't know what I would do without them.