"is this gonna go on instagram? FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD TO SEE?!!" *

*thanks mom for the quote of the reunion.

does your family have a default family vacation/reunion?  we shipleys are big defaulters.  growing up we always defaulted to disneyland.  sure, we made "plans" to do "other" things, but did we ever do them?  no way!  we always ended up going to disneyland...which was perfect and we loved it.

and nowadays, our reunions are always the same.  and just like disneyland, it is always perfect and we always love it.  we all stay with my parents and we always go to the big trees, the beach, and strawberry picking.  and sure, at the end of this reunion there was talk of possible alternatives for the next time, but according to josh's very thorough and informative survey, seven out of eight adults chose to keep the party in salinas next time.  (scott was our dissenting voter, giving salinas only a 2 out of a possible 3 stars.  rude.  he'll pay for that next time when we make him sleep on the air mattress.)

• the girls continued with their tradition of putting on a play for us.  they practice all day, make invitations, dress up, and have memorized lines and everything!  and this year, even macy did her part.  (last time she kind of threw a diva tantrum.)

• the "big trees", as we've always called them, is really henry cowell state park in the santa cruz mountains.  we have been going there my entire life and have many family pictures taken on the same sacred .8 mile nature walk we always take.  it is more beautiful and smells more wonderful than i can ever describe.  

• and boy did we ever try to get an all-cousins picture. this particular time margo was just not having it.  i mean, i hate to call the girl out, but...

• and here we are at the beach.  it always amazes me how kids don't care that the water is freezing.  i can't touch it with my toe, but the kids jump right in.  crazy hooligans.  

 

• and always plenty of time spent in my parents' beautiful backyard.  seriously, i could live in their backyard.

• the place where we go strawberry picking is so charming.  

• again, more cousin pictures with the backdrop of a red barn.  duh.  

• funny story: sawyer REFUSED to be in any cousin-picture-taking nonsense this attempt.  HOWEVER, when kiana gave him a "job" of sitting next to margo to keep her happy, he was all smiles and peek-a-boo.  how about that!

 

 


and of course there are the un-photographed moments: dad telling us how he used to put jamie to sleep when he was a baby, a game of charades that was practically the unraveling of my mom, the youtube video-watching, the kid-history watching, the many rounds of buzz word, and margo crying when anyone else was holding her but her mom or dad.  (we love you margo!)

we missed craig (get back from taiwan already!) but other than that, it was perfect.  can't wait for the next reunion.  in SALINAS.  hear that, scott?  boo ya.