Walter Family Reunion '07

Michael's family is wonderful in many ways. One is that they come together at least every two years for a reunion. And get this- NOBODY misses. I mean it. Everyone shows if at all possible. This family also stays in touch at least weekly through a yahoo group. It is amazing. The reunion has a few non-negotiable events, but is always hosted by different family members in different locales.
This year the reunion was at Camp Cho-Yeh in Livingston. The drive was REALLY long, especially with the kids, but they did pretty well. Davis had a wonderful time playing "find the tractor" since we passed one about every half-second.
This reunion was really nice, since the camp was lovely and the rooms were so close to the dining hall and meeting room, that a baby monitor would work. That meant we had the freedom to roam about while the kids were napping. We also got to leave the kids with the grandparents for a couple of hours while we did some really fun team building games and climbed a rock wall and did some zip-lining!
We sang songs and roasted smores around the campfire. We took a LOT of family photos and several of our family members were hit by an evil stomach virus. We watched an amazing slideshow of photos gathered from all family members and a beautiful memorial slideshow for Michael's recently passed uncle.
After the reunion on Sunday, Michael's brother and sister-in-law and their two boys followed us home for a visit in Austin! We were thrilled since they had never visited before. Their boys, Austin (4) and Dylan (1), are wonderful playmates for our boys and much, much, MUCH merriment has been made. We hosted a potluck party for them on Monday night and it was insane. The children outnumbered the adults and most of them were three and under. It was loud, but the food was good and the company was even better.
Then Steven, Michael's brother, had a couple of job interviews! We are really hoping that he can find a job so that they can move here. If you know anyone in the Austin area who has connections to post-production sound, please let me know. Steven has a kick-ass resume and has been doing foley work in L.A. for a long time. Melissa and I had a great time just hanging out together with our boys and she got a chance to see our new house in San Marcos and visit with her aunt Shirley.
And today the Walter visit is coming to an end. Steven and Melissa and family have to go home. I'm sad. I love them so much! Send some positive thoughts into the air that Steve can find a job here.
We leave for New Orleans on Friday for a week, so I probably won't be posting for a few days, but I'll give you a full report when we get back. Much love, Amber