Bushman Family Reunion

Clark and I (Jose had to work. Bummer life of an AC contractor in the summer.) attended the Bushman Family Reunion this year in Bear Lake, Chesterfield and Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. We all got together to celebrate my Grandma Maxine Cox Bushman's 80th birthday, which isn't actually until October, but summer is the best time for most of the family to travel. We had a grand time. Here's the rundown.

Friday, July 15th: Drove up to Bear Lake, Idaho and hit the Hometown Cafe for fresh raspberry shakes. Hello gorgeous. We drove up with my Aunt Becky Shields and her daughter, Megan. Becky is a family history buff, so she filled us in on our purpose for being at the reunion. She knows everything about everyone! :) Then we got settled in the gigantic lodge that accommodated all 50 or so Bushmans. Right off the bat I got to have a little talk with Grandma and Grandpa about some experiences that I'd been having in Arizona. My Great Uncle Earl listened in; it's nice to get to know him better. S'mores and sparklers that night; my Great Uncle Mark is a s'mores hero and sandwiched them all together for everyone that wanted one!

Saturday, July 16th: Drove up to Chesterfield area and had a program tribute to Grandma. Since my dad was the only of seven siblings not in attendance, I read his tribute for him. I did it almost without crying. Success! Grandma told us about her parents and ancestors. Then we drove around and saw some of the old homesteads, the historic church and the general store that has been made into a museum. We visited the cemetery, but my Aunt Kathy and I just hung out with Clark and her 5 yr old son, Joey. Throwing dirt clods around was much more fun for them than looking at tombstones. Crazy kids. After that, we drove to Lava Hot Springs for a picnic dinner and a soak in the springs, which felt divine to me, too hot for Clark.

Sunday, July 17th: In the morning we watched a video tribute to Grandma that Aunt Becky and Uncle Nephi worked on endlessly and with much difficulty. In the end it was a triumph and many tears were shed. We're surely a weepy bunch, I'll tell ya that. Then we all went to church together in Paris, Idaho in the chapel next to the old Paris Tabernacle. We practically filled the chapel! The opening hymn was High on a Mountain Top, written by our ancestor, Joel Hills Johnson. We all got a big kick out of that. Poor Clark got a little distressed when they spelled his name wrong in Primary. I was thrilled, frankly, that he knew how to spell his name! We finished the afternoon and evening with general merry-making and shooting off fireworks.

Monday, July 18th: Clark, Aunt Becky and Megan and I headed back up to Paris to take a tour of the tabernacle. Well, halfway through the tour, the kids and I skipped out and went to the nearby park instead. Then we headed back to the Hometown Cafe for more shakes. Divine. On our way back to Salt Lake, we stopped and took pictures of the Logan Temple. I'd never seen it up close before. Talk about divine! :)

The absolute highlight of the reunion for me was reconnecting with all my aunts, uncles and cousins, and staying up late each night, talking and listening to each others' stories. I love them all; happy, smart, beautiful people that they are. And we all get along so well. It really is remarkable to spend a whole weekend with 50+ people and have everything go off without a hitch. I credit my aunts for keeping everyone in line and for doing more than their fair share of the work. It was a wonderful, happy time and I'm so thankful that we were able to attend.