Davidson’s Family Reunion – August 1-6, 2012

We were delighted that Jacque, Trace and Wyatt showed up on Tuesday, July 31^st, so we got an extra night with them on the front end of the reunion. It was wonderful to see Wyatt back home from his mission. What an outstanding young man he has become (not that he wasn’t already outstanding). I am very proud of the good mission that he has served in the Riverside California area. His last assignment was as Assistant to the Mission President, so he had a lot of experience finding his way around the whole mission, and driving in the Southern California freeway systems. We were fortunate to have the three of them stay with us at our little house.

On Wednesday, August 1^st, more of the family began to arrive for the reunion. Cody and Jade came early evening, Brenna, DeAnn, Luke, Sydne and Anna came that night about 11pm. We had arranged for them to stay at the Quality Inn Hotel, so they checked in there. Eileen, Jeff and Dayna arrived and stayed at Jeff’s dad’s house. Josh, Stephanie, Dakota and Trae arrived in their RV camper and checked in at the KOA campground.

On Thursday morning at 10:45AM, Dan, Babs and Jack arrived at the Sacramento Airport from Atlanta at almost exactly the same time as Tarin, Doug, Addison and Weston arrived there from Denver. So we met them and picked up part of them and they rented a car for the rest of the group. We had planned to just have lunch and hang out until Brock arrived at 2PM, but Brock had found out and informed us that his flight was delayed for 5 hours, so we drove back home. We fixed lunch and packed up the River Floaters and headed down to Lotus Park. While they were blowing up the floaters everyone ate lunch then something like 19 people floated down the American River to the next jumping back on the shore place (about 2 hours later). Jeff and Eileen and Grandpa D shuttled cars down to the pick-up point and everyone headed home to get showers and dressed then at 7PM we all appeared back at the airport to welcome Brock home from his mission.

Brock came down the escalator with a big white “cowboy” or “Southern Gentleman’s” hat in front of his face. His sisters had made a huge sign saying Welcome Home Elder Brock Davidson and there were 31 persons there to greet him: including Jeff, Shain, Bree, Layne, Kenna & Amber, Claudia (grandma) and Brett, Tammi & Cole Smith (uncle, aunt, cousin), Jacque, Trace & Wyatt Kirk, Josh, Stephanie, Dakota & Trae Kirk, Cody & Jade Kirk, Bryan, Leah & Avi Tuttle, DeAnn, Luke, Sydne & Anna Wright, Dan, Babs & Jack Davidson, Gpa Jack & Gma NaDee Davidson. It was a joyous homecoming for all of us to greet him. He looked the same but we could tell that the mission had grown him into a mature and outstanding young man. His last assignment was to work in the mission office, and there he experienced many opportunities to travel around his whole mission for a few months.

We were all wishing that we had been there at the Salt Lake City Airport to greet Wyatt with those big numbers of people, but he was met by Jacque, Trace, Cody and Jade there. However we were all just as excited to greet him when he arrived back here in Northern California.

On Friday, August 3^rd everyone packed up and we all headed out to Sly Park (Jenkinson) Lake where everyone who wanted to were able to take advantage of Jeff’s boat by wakeboarding and tubing, canoeing, swimming and wading. In the evening we all went to the Jeff and Shain’s house and they barbequed hamburgers, hot dogs and we had dinner together.  Teresa and Ryder arrived late afternoon this day too. The kids played volleyball and swam in the pool and we visited and enjoyed the family. The big event of the evening was when they all gathered into the entryway and living room at Jeff and Shain’s home and honored me for my 78^th birthday which was a few days earlier. Jacque had brought many hats, enough so nearly everyone came and put the hat on my head and honored me by saying some very nice things about me. I must say I have a grand family and they were most kind and thoughtful and some funny in their moments. The only thing that would have been better would have been if those of my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren who couldn’t come had been there too. I love all of the 74 members of my family more than I can say. And with the 3 more on the way we’ll have 77 this year and I already love them too.

Saturday was the big day for the Luau. The tables and chairs were all set up and decorated the night before by Shain and her family. Jeff and Bryan took Ryder and Sydne and Anna in at 7AM and checked their teeth out and put braces on Sydne. Then before time for the luau, most everyone packed up again for another floating trip down the American River. Besides the individual floaters, Jeff Tuttle brought his big raft along and several people rode on it through the rapids. Everyone seemed to really love those river trips. Jacque and I went shopping for the food for the luau at Costco. Everyone came home by about 3pm. Fortunately a good friend of ours, Nathan Jones, agreed to buy, cook and deliver the meat (teriyaki chicken and kalua pig). So with the help of many hands we prepared potato salad, macaroni salad, yams, haupia, and a ton of fruit salad and by 6pm we were prepared for the 130 people who showed up for the luau. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food after which we were entertained by the Davidson girls, Layne, Kenna and Amber and their guitar and ukulele teacher Dave, and Teresa Wright and her violin. During the entertainment time, Paige showed up having driven all the way from Provo by herself and we were able to enjoy her company for a few days.

On Sunday the 5^th most of the families had to leave to go home. Josh and family left at the crack of dawn because they had to get home for Josh to leave on another trip for work to Florida at the crack of dawn on Monday. Teresa and Ryder left early too. Cody and Jade left at a more reasonable hour. Brenna and DeAnn and her family left right after Sacrament Meeting, but attended that with us. Tammi and Brett and Cole left Sunday morning after Jeff took Brett in for some tooth work. Eileen and Jeff and Dayna left mid-morning. Tarin and Doug and family left after church too having attended Sacrament meeting.

So the people left were Jacque, Trace and Wyatt. They stayed through Sunday night and left early on Monday to go to Southern California where Wyatt served his mission to visit with his friends there. Dan and Jack, Jeff and his 5 kids and Layne’s friend Josh took grandpa on a fishing trip on Monday at noon. They had tin foil dinners and s’mores etc. for dinner that night and bacon and eggs and rolls for breakfast the next morning. They all seemed to have a good time and even caught several fish which they brought back for us to cook for Tuesday dinner. Dan, Babs, Paige and Jack left Tuesday night at 11:30pm to head back to Atlanta where they arrived at 6:30am in time for Dan and Babs to go to work. 

So all the family fun is over, but the memories are still with us and we hope to be able to do this again in a year or two. Families are forever. Someone said, “If I can’t be with my family in heaven, I don’t want to go there.” And I feel the same way. I hope I can be good enough to be blessed with all my loved ones near for eternity.

Grandma D