We had a fun family reunion in Bozeman, Montana in August. Leah was in charge of it this year and she did a great job. We haven't been to a reunion in a few years because they always seem to be planned when we're on tour with the choir but this year finally worked out. Unfortunately I didn't write about it at the time and so am relying on my (poor) memory and (many) pictures to help me remember details.
We drove to West Yellowstone the first day and stayed the night there. The town itself was a tourist trap. The fun thing there was the Playmill Theater where we went to see "Singing in the Rain" with Glade and Carolyn. That was a fun, high energy (and loud!) show and we enjoyed it. I had been sick for several days and my head was pounding so the really loud microphones and speakers kind of got to me but the energy of the performers (mostly students from BYU-Idaho in Rexburg) made up for that. I can't believe the great choreography that they performed on such a small stage. As we came out after the 6PM show there was a huge line outside for the 9PM show. Those performers are definitely young and energetic to be able to perform back to back like that.
The drive from West Yellowstone to Bozeman the next morning was beautiful. I took dozens of pictures as we stopped and looked at wildflowers, meadows, streams, mountains, etc. We found a great restaurant downtown and had some dinner. Bozeman is a really fun city. I loved the walkable downtown with cute shops (quilt, tea/spices, honey, jewelry, clothing) and lots of fun places to eat. The family was gathering at Leah's house that night to visit but we were both tired and so just checked into the hotel and went to bed.
The next morning was the Sweet Pea Festival along with a 5K run. Derek decided to run the race. Doug went downtown to watch the parade and meet family. I stayed back in the hotel and rested since my cough had kept me (and Doug too) up half the night. It's miserable to be sick when you're away from home! We met Derek and Shelby and took them to lunch and then they went back to their hotel to rest and we decided to go on a hike to a waterfall we'd heard about. The drive to the waterfall was pretty but the hike to it was long and it wasn't too spectacular. Of course, much of that might have been due to me not feeling 100%.
We met the whole gang at the park for dinner, games, and an auction (to raise money for the next reunion). There weren't many of us in attendance considering how big Joe and Avis' posterity is, but we had a good time. I made a bag for the auction. Doug's sisters thought I was making a quilt but that didn't happen. Maybe next time. As I was eating a brownie I broke yet another tooth, only six weeks after breaking one in June at Moon Lake. Oi vey! In fact, my face was still bruised from the extraction and implant done on that tooth and so I have a black and blue face in the family picture!
We got up and went to a local Sacrament Meeting on Sunday morning and sat with Derek and Shelby there. Headed home but stopped at Mesa Falls in Idaho after hearing about it from Derek. It was a beautiful place that I'd never heard of and I'm glad we stopped! Forest fires have been rampant this summer and we drove through thick, thick smoke on the freeways in Idaho to and from Montana.
