Dennis did a great job at keeping all of us entertained with all of the fun things at camp. We went on hayrack rides, kayaking, paddle boating, hiking and swimming. The highlight was the high ropes course and zip line. There’s nothing that brings a family closer than hanging from a rope 50 feet off the ground with your life literally in the hands of your loved ones as they hold the rope so you don’t plummet to the ground! (that's daddy up there!)
It still doesn’t seem possible that it’s been 20 years! The photo below shows it. David is a baby, and I'm currently almost as old as Cynthia was in that photo! Time has indeed passed, and it's been quite a journey.
My dad and Cynthia had what most would consider a whirlwind courtship lasting only a few months. They “dated” via hours on the telephone since she lived in Georgia. I still remember my dad and me fighting over the use of the phone because we both wanted to talk to our significant others.
The first time I met my new brothers and sister was a few days before the wedding. (Imagine!) I was a snarky 17 year old who was nobody’s fool and knew the drill. This was my dad’s third marriage, and I was less than enthusiastic with the timing.
“Can’t you just wait a year until I’m out of high school and at college,” I’d beg my dad. To a self-centered teenager that didn’t seem like a lot to ask, right? Well, I’m glad he didn’t wait. Despite all of the trials in blending two families I’m thankful I was a part of it all right from the start.
Our 20th anniversary celebration gave my brothers, sister and me the opportunity to share our memories of bringing our families together. It was fun to reflect on that first week when we all met.
David was the same age as Luke (the oldest grandson shown in the photo above with the flag) is now. I remember giving him a big hug the first time I met him. He later told me that completely freaked him out. Poor kid! I’m sure Ellen and I were hard to take for an 11 year old!
Lara was sweet right from the start. She said she was so excited to have sisters after spending the first 13 years of her life with only brothers. Her sincere delight showed. Even though she was 4 years my junior she was far more mature in welcoming me into her world. I’ll always be grateful to her for that.
Then there was Chris who was so handsome he made my head spin (sorry, Chris!). But right from the start he was just great fun and easy to hang out with. Plus he had a cool best friend who had a REALLY fast car (sorry, daddy), so Chris was, “like totally cool,” even for me, who thought she was “all that,” and supposedly hard to impress.
We sat in the camper swapping these stories and laughing until we had tears running down our faces. It will be one of my most treasured memories.
Another great memory will be singing dad and Cynthia’s wedding song to them the last night of our time together. Anna found the music and lyrics to the song, and we kids rehearsed on the sly. They were completely surprised. It was the perfect ending to the perfect celebration of what it means to become and be a family.
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