family reunion 2009

dave's mom's dad's (got that?--his name was lynn pope) family reunion was this past weekend in vernal, utah. we headed down friday morning in a caravan with mark & stacy. it was cloudy, windy, and cold most of the day (we even ended up buying jackets at wal-mart we were so cold). that didn't stop us from partying, though. nothing can stop the party. kids caught frogs, played on the playground, ran like banshees, and caught up with family.

saturday was much warmer and we were able to do more. we flew kites, played kickball, football, and baseball, dug in more sand, had a carriage ride, and...visited with family some more. that's the point of a family reunion, right? (and yes, i really am that short, especially compared to my sisters-in-law who are 6 feet tall.)
saturday evening we went to grandpa pope's grave site so we could lay flowers on the grave and talk a bit about him. he served in world war 2 and earned the purple heart, silver star, and bronze star. he was there on d-day and helped take omaha beach. he specifically took out the machine guns and something else that i can't remember--maybe vivian can help me out? grandpa pope died in a car crash in 1970 when my mother-in-law was a freshman in college. it was so nice to get to know him a little through this reunion. he really seemed like a great man and i'd love to get to know him some day.
saturday night we went back to grandma pope's house and cousin-in-law jill took our family pictures. cousin-in-law april helped keep the kids happy during pictures and it was really fun! i can't wait to see how they turned out. everybody looked great and jill is so talented.

i really loved this reunion. i don't know dave's side of the family super well, but i had a great time hanging with his brothers, and the cousins that i do know, especially the oaks. i'm so glad we were able to go and do this, especially since all 5 of dave's brothers were together for the first time in more than 10 years. i can't wait 'til the next one!