How To Survive A Family Reunion

Over Spring Break I went to Detroit, otherwise known as "Motor City". No, no, I did not go there for the crippling economic times of the city, I actually went to see my family.

If you think that's a big family, I'm telling you right now,
that's not even the whole entire side of my Mom's family.

Me and my bestie,
oh and my brother of course.

My great ole Grandpa Jim just turned eighty and like my mother says, "You only turn eighty once!" so we had to go. Naturally, I agreed because that meant that this chica got to leave Boxy State R Us, also known as Utah. At this point there were less than twenty-four hours till I would be reunited with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and more cousins!

Grace's Guide to Family Reunions

1. Don't Assume Anything. Ever. Setting up expectations for a family reunion is like taking half of the pie out of the tin before everything begins! 

Example: I'm probably going to be sitting in the corner on Tumblr, ugh family reunions are so boring.

From the moment I sat down at Hogan's I knew this reunion was going to be like no other. Considering all the others had been before I was twelve and I hardly remember them, I knew this one would be remembered. We made pretzels, played hide-and-go-seek with the itty bitties (pictured below), stole seats, watched Frozen, and finished an 1,000 piece puzzle. Altogether, it was everything you'd expect in a Mason family reunion.

Who cares for The White Stripes when you can
have The Brunette Stripes featuring ALottaPretzelz?

2. Don't Take Things Too Seriously: For reals here, if you're trying to pack 30+ people in a house/restaurant for over an hour you better have a good sense of humor. This is not Family Feud, I repeat, this is not Family Feud! Tread lightly, joke around, and have a good time! Who knows, you may not see this people for several years!

Example: Hey look, Dominic left his phone on the table... Maybe I should take 200 or so selfies and pictures while he plays tag.

In retrospect, this probably would have been a better idea if my brother hadn't turned around and did the same thing only moments after he found all the pictures I had taken on his phone. I ended up with beautiful photos like:

Oh hey look it's an Asa! 

And this beauty:

What is this you ask? A rug, a shoe, the floor, art maybe?

He's lucky he's got a sister who doesn't mind 1,322 selfies here and there.

3. Spend Time With Your Favorites (and Everyone Else): If you have a big family like mine, you understand that you don't often have the chance to see your family every other weekend, if at all. Treat yo self! Chat with those cousins! Address arguments with those aunts! Uh, I have nothing for uncle... Anyways!

Example: If you have only seven days in the state, and your favorite cousin is only there for four, what do you do?

You spend as much time with that cousin as with everyone else. Okay, maybe a few hours more, eh whatcha gonna do! With my family, a few extra hours means ten or twenty more inside jokes, better bonding time, at least thirty puzzle pieces connected, a new grudge, and another opportunity to watch Frozen! Oh, and as I've mentioned before, a whole lot of selfies!

Jamie, Bre, Domino, and I enjoying our puzzles.

Bre and I having a ladylike sword fight at the family dinner.

We are family,

Grace