Dinner at Grandma's - 21 Aug 2011

At family gatherings I have somehow turned into the crazy lady who takes photos of everyone and everything. Maybe it's because I'm one of the few who doesn't have little kids to take care of. Most of the time we get together to eat, so I have taken hundreds of photos of family members and friends sitting down to plates heaping with food. If people seem reluctant to have their picture taken, I tell them that in 20 years they'll be glad that I did. I've decided it's time to start posting about some of these family gatherings.

This past Sunday, my husband Randalf and I enjoyed dinner and an evening of conversation at my Mom's house with my some of my siblings and their families. My sister Joni was in town from Wisconsin helping her oldest daughter Manna get settled in her apartment for her first year of college. Mom and my sister Pookie made a fabulous Sunday dinner (ham, "funeral" potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, whole wheat rolls, broccoli with hollandaise sauce, fruit, salad, and raspberry cheese cake). We sat around eating and talking for a couple of hours until we were all extremely full and happy.

Here's a sampling of conversation topics:

• My brother D and his wife K told us about their family's recent vacation. They spent time in Nauvoo, Illinois, where their kids had a great time exploring the old pioneer village. They also visited our brother R, his wife E, and their new baby daughter L in Oklahoma.
• My sister Blondie told us about a documentary film she watched recently about this guy's quest to get date with Drew Barrymore because he had had a crush on her ever since he saw her in the movie E.T. The documentary was filmed in the early 2000s and it took the guy several months to get Drew Barrymore's attention. During dinner, we discussed how if the film were made today it would be much shorter--like about 7 minutes--because he could have used YouTube to reach Drew with his message in just a couple of days. In the end, the guy finally went on a date with Drew Barrymore and gave her a Snoopy snow cone machine. Sounds like a quality guy. Wouldn't you be impressed by a guy who gave you a Snoopy snow cone machine?
• Brother D and wife K told me all about a local Storytelling Festival that's happening this week. Storytellers come from all over the country and meet at a park up the canyon for a few days and tell stories. You can attend a sample night the first evening where each storyteller presents for a few minutes; you decide on your favorites and return the following days to hear them tell longer stories. D and K tried to convince me to take time off of work to go. If I do, I'll give you a full report. (p.s. I didn't go, and neither did they. Maybe next year. :)
• The Fam at large told me and my husband Randalf about Kid History. We had never heard of it. So far I have watched 2 episodes and Randalf has watched a half episode. I think you need to be in the right mood for it. 
• After dinner, my niece Manna showed us a video that she and her classmates created last school year as a high school psychology project. Their assignment was to demonstrate their understanding of one or more psychological disorders. They made puppets out of brown paper lunch sacks, and used the puppets to tell the story of a psychotic person who thought he was a Gingerbread Man. My favorite part: The Gingerbread Man is in a support group where members of the group declare "I am NOT a baked good!" and "I am NOT the Muffin Man!"  :)

That's it for the talking. Here are my photos of Sunday's family dinner crowd. (I don't know how I missed it, but I didn't get a photo of my sister Teenie, but she was there. I'll get her next time.)

Before Dinner
Joni, Blondie, and Blondie's middle son A hang out on the couch:

Blondie's daughter K enjoying a favorite Sunday activity--reading the Sunday Comics!

Mom puts the final touches on dinner while Randalf and Blondie's husband M talk car talk:

And there was the usual pre-dinner torturing of one's little brother. Here Blondie's oldest son D treats her youngest son H to an amusement park ride:

Pookie gives some loves to D:

During Dinner
The"Big Kid" table:

My Brother D's daughter C and son M:

Blondie's oldest D and Brother D's second son S:

Manna and Pookie. At one point after this, Pookie came into the kitchen to find a Kleenex. Manna had said something that made Pookie laugh so hard she was crying. It's going to be fun to have Manna around while she's in college this year. :)

The boys at the other table: Brother D's sons J and B with Blondie's son A in the middle:

The girls: Brother D's daughter M and Blondie's daughter K:

Brother D's youngest and Blondie's youngest are best pals:

Blondie's husband M with their youngest son H:

Brother D's wife K with their youngest son H:

A series of Brother D and Joni in which they try not to look as if they are stoned:

After Dinner
Manna shows the kids a Disney video on her laptop:

Me with Randalf on our way out at the end of the evening:

Share Your Story
Were you at this dinner? If so, what do you remember? Manna, is your Gingerbread Man video posted on YouTube? If so, can I post a link to it? :)