Our Independence Day Weekend

Over the 4th of July weekend our family was able to attend a Lowe Family Reunion. Of the 108 descendants of my grandma and grandpa Lowe, 90 were in attendance. Families came from all over the country and it was a blast. It was really neat to see and get to know a lot of my cousins that I used to think were so much older than me. Most of us have kids about the same age now and it really is great to get to know them on more of a peer level.

The morning some of the younger children families went to Tracy Aviary. Just as a note: 4th of July + Tracy Aviary + Great Weather (including but not limited to slightly overcast skies and low 80 degree temperatures) = Best Children's Activity Day Ever! The park was practically empty and it wasn't even hot. We took our time, fed some ducks, chased and ran away from some peacocks, and overall had a wonderful time.

Later that afternoon the entire family gathered for the first time. We played at a park and had some delicious dinner and of course homemade ice cream and peaches and homemade root beer. For those of you who think homemade root beer is best from the dry ice recipe, you're totally wrong. You've got to have homemade root beer Lowe Style. Although it is, for some, an acquired taste. Later we attended the Riverton City fireworks.

This panoramic mishap is of the entire Lowe Family that gathered for Family Home Evening on Sunday evening. I think I'm only missing about two handfuls of people from these pictures.

The last day was spent up at the campgrounds at the Spruces. There is a wonderful log cabin Bowery (that I've never seen before) that fit all of us nicely. We played some games, ate more food, and ended the whole thing with a campfire. Around the campfire we played "You Know You're A Lowe If..." This included knowing trivia such as, You Know You're a Lowe If: you know why Grandma used to use her typewriter out the window; you can name the different types of cows; you know what Grandpa used to say when he played Rook; you can describe (or dance in Aaron's case) Grandpa's unique soft shoe style... and on and on.

It really was a lot of fun and I hope we'll be able to do it again in another three years.