Tingey Reunion 2012

So, I had this really vivid, concrete memory of blogging about the Tingey reunion earlier this summer. I went to pull up the post for my mother in law the other day, and it was nowhere to be found. Apparently, I'm (gulp) getting old. I wish I could say this was an isolated event. Moving on...

Chris's brother Nick returned from his mission earlier this year and the entire Tingey clan reunited in Chris's hometown for a mini-vacation to the Redwoods. It was lots of driving, but I'd never been to a Redwood forest before, and I was totally mesmerized by these amazingly huge trees.

We stayed in a cluster of cabins that had a pool and a playground for the littles. No sooner were we out of the car than all the Tingey grandkids were all over that playground.

One of the cabins had a small kitchen, so in the evenings we would gather for dinner and one night a family home evening.

                    (I couldn't decide which of these edits I liked better, so you get both!)

I don't do very well in super large groups. I'm just one of those people who gets overwhelmed by large numbers of people; the chaos and craziness of it all just drain me. Consequently, these family gatherings are a strange mix of anxiety and great fun. The logistics of getting all of us from one place to another stresses me out. On the other hand, I get a lot of opportunity to visit with my mother- and sisters-in law (I really lucked out in these departments), which is what makes the trip worth it for me.

*Have you heard of picMonkey? It's my new favorite spot to edit photos, since picnik closed.