Reuniting the Past with The Present: The 2009 Westerberg Family Reunion

I have the honor of boasting of the greatest Grandma ever. As a child, visiting her home was like a dream. Every minute in her arms, kitchen, back yard, and especially sleeping in the "pink" room was worth the torturous five plus hour drive (remember the "Stay Alive at 55" days?) to her house in Preston, Idaho. I have the most wonderful memories of housecoats, ice cream at night, cupboards full of cereal and sugar, a drawer full of magical treasures, steep stairs that led to a very cool cellar filled with canned cherries, tea parties, The Young and the Restless, trips to Kings, trips to Richard and Julie's, trips to the "The Farm", trips to Terry and Wendy's... It seems I could go on and on, but my most favorite recollection is of nights were I slept with her as she tickled my back while telling me the story of Billy Goat Gruff.
In the picture above, I am about 4 years old and this is how I will always remember Grandma. I miss her. I am thankful to her children who honor her memory by having a reunion each year.

It has been about nine years since Grandma has passed away, so are the days of sleeping in the luxury of her home. The remaining Westerberg brothers in Preston have renovated an old house on the the farm, and have named it "The Lodge". It hosts many hunters and visitors. I affectionately call it the "The House of Mouse" - for obvious reasons... This was to be our home for the reunion (I had some serious anxiety about contracting a mouse louse, Uncle Steven was generous enough to pull his trailer up so I could sleep ) THANK YOU!! We weren't there five minutes before Kimm broke through a step. It was quite funny.

For some reason, Taylor didn't think anything was funny that night. (Very crabby after the long drive and about 15 stops.)

He did manage to be quite manly and build a bonfire for my girls. Now he is feeling the true spirit of the farm...

It didn't take Maddy long at all to adapt to life on the farm.

The best part of the evening was catching up with Aunt Pam (whose name I proudly bear, Selina Pamela)

Kimm laughed her head off because she was short in pictures, even while sitting...

Maddy is just happy to be part of it all.

These two have no clue what fun lies ahead...

If the kids aren't beating up Taylor, he is beating up them.

The mix of fresh cut alfalfa and Taylor are not a great mix.

So, my family says goodnight to the others and we head out to an air conditioned, spotless, fresh trailer. It even sported a sound system and TV. SWEET.

Katie was the first asleep...

This left Kimm, Chainey, Anna, Maddy, Aunt Pam, Taylor and Melisa to sleep here. (To the Preston Westerberg's, I am not mocking The Lodge, I am just laughing at my Diva lifestyle.) It wouldn't be so funny if they all didn't insist on sleeping in the same room.

We offered to share our suite, but they all refused...

That was fine, I had no guilt about sleeping with my head tucked safely under mice free sleeping bags.

GOOD MORNING!! Walking the road from the farm to Terry and Wendy's has always been a joy for me, especially when freshly cooked pancakes are waiting.

Uncle Richard was our wake up call. He looks pretty dapper in his aqua shirt and plaid shorts. The motorcycle tops off the outfit. It is not even quite 9 am and I am already in heaven!

Here comes Dad, Di and Mariah. Russell A. always likes to make a grand entrance.

Pat is thinking that farm life is pretty sweet. Pancakes, motorcycles and occupied children.

Thank you for the great breakfast and hospitality. Feels like Grandma was here...

Aunt Pam, blue is your color. XOXO.

Me, Aunt Wendy and Aunt Pam. Thank you to Wendy for sharing all your valuable information with me. I am so glad to know that David is Terry and that he was so willing to step in at the "last minute" and give me a baby blessing.
Darn those bar brawls and newspapers...

Ah... The Chosen One. Mathew, you are as cute as you ever were. I really think that you should reconsider my proposition: You and Mariah are not blood related and she LOVES all things farm.

Our swing set at home just doesn't have the appeal this one has...

As you can tell, I LOVE to take pictures - I only wish I was better at it. The farm is prime posing background, so Kimm and I tortured our little ones and made them stick their heads out of every window we could find...

I love this picture of Kimm and I, because I love my sister.

I wish I could have snapped more photos of my big girls, but they were having too much fun on the 4-wheelers with T.

Bella and Anna...

The tables were turned and Kimm and I got to stick our heads out of small spaces.

I heart them. A lot.

It is hard to believe how often I played in this very barn as a child, and now here I am with children of my own.

This has been a tough year for our family, especially Pat, but he said that all his troubles were left behind while here.

I heart the farm.

We are on our way to the "official" family reunion. Kimm got herself a pretty clean ride.

This is a picture of the original house built by my great grandfather, Delphin Westerberg. Aunt Pam said it was known as a "mansion" at the time. My dad's father, Russell, then lived in this house and my dad grew up here. My uncle Terry (my dad's youngest brother) and Aunt Wendy now live here.

(Wendy, are my facts straight??)

This is a picture of Melvin, Edith and Russell (my great grandfather).

And... my favorite, Grandpa Russell, Grandma Elaine and my dad, Russell A. (The A. stands for Alfred, who is some other family member, but they called my dad Russell A. as a way to distinguish between father and son - I can still hear my grandma calling my dad by that name)
I guess Dad even had a reputatation at this young age, Wendy found some letters confirming "that boy of Elaine's had better behave"

As you can see, the old "mansion" has changed a bit. It is now straight out of Better Homes and Gardens. I would send pictures of it to the magazine, but I know how Wendy treasures her solace...

This is the view from Terry and Wendy's backyard. No wonder Terry has never left this beautiful mountain.

The Westerberg siblings fron L to R:

Terry (the baby), Pamela (the "and" between the boys), Russell A. (the oldest), Steven (the quiet one) and Richard (the tall, funny one)

As the oldest, Dad is in charge of starting the reunion by introducing himself and giving some background on the family.

One of the great talents of my father is speaking. I love to hear his stories, whether fact or a little fiction.
Dad, I heart you. Always.

Aunt Pam loves to talk, and that is what I love about her. I could listen to her all day.

Typical gestures of Dad and Pam. Pam is trying to complete her sentence between Dad's impatient grunts. Ignore him, Aunt Pam, he is just jealous of the attention you are receiving.

Uncle Terry is looking very GQ in this photo and still the strong, quiet type. Terry never wastes a word.

I am troubled I didn't get a picture of Uncle Richard or Uncle Steven. They both are great examples of fathers, husbands, sons and brothers. Richard, I am glad the Christian Spirit is in you. You are very big and I would hate to see revenge taken upon the smaller ones.

And here is Diane. She always is always smiling and loves my dad better than anyone ever could. Di, I heart you.

Kimm. My sister, my friend and more. I heart you. A lot.

I would love to know what Buggy is thinking right now.

Sometimes the Boise Crew needs a reunion to coordinate our schedules!

It was impossible to get pictures of everyone, so I will say a few things to those that were there:

Aunt Julie, I still try to be just like you, but now that I have my own children, I am glad I didn't have twins!! I have always loved you and you will forever hold a dear spot in my heart.

Marybeth: I loved you like my own when you were a babe. Get working on that degree, I think I need an antibiotic to protect me from the Mouse Virus.

Eric and Brian: Is it a requiremnt where you are from to marry beautiful, skinny blondes?? And, by the way, Brian, I NEVER tried to drown you. It was probably my sister. She tried to drown me several times.
Aunt Margaret: You are as sophisticated as ever and I envy your athletic ability, but be more careful! And, THANK YOU for the use of your home on wheels.
Tiffany: Your family is so darling, just like you... I hope you are on the blogging bandwagon now.
To all those who couldn't make it. You were missed, don't skip the next one.

Kimm and Diane sang a song about "Fat Thighs", sorry to say, I missed it.

Sara pulled out the totally cool cousin trick and found tiny ponies from the hillside for all the kiddos to ride.

Needless to say, this was a BIG hit.

Mariah was so happy to be around horses again, that she didn't mind the heat or flies. (Or leading my girls around the pasture endless times)
Mariah, you are a beautiful young woman, inside and out. I heart you.

Don't worry, Anna and Chainey, I heart you, too.

Yes, I would agree that Maddy is a bit too big for this horsie, but it got the best of her. She was horse-napped, believe it or not. Sara, you were correct in noting that all the poor girl had to do was stand up and the pony would have left her in the dust.
A big thankyou, Sara, for being so generous with your time and ponies. You really do rock. I also must thank you for reuniting me with my long lost relatives...

Remember, you always have a friend , and family, in Meridian.

I heart you.

Katie, once again, is frustrated with my compulsive picture taking.

She retaliated by taking this beauty when I wasn't looking. I thinkI will start respecting her wishes.

Audrey and Bella made for fast friends.

I think I could take these three out in public and pass them off as triplets... Wish we lived closer.

Bella had a hard time saying goodbye to Aunt Wendy's yard. She kept finding spots that she wanted her picture taken.

Pat found it nessesary to relax in the air conditioned RV after the strenous lunch. Poor guy, he really wore himself out.

After seeing Maddy's hair, Kimm insisted on having me use my mad skills to rat and knot her hair. I had to darken her make-up as well. I mean, we ARE going to "The Famous Preston Night Rodeo"..

Aunt Pam needed in on the action as well. I think we are now sufficently prepared for the P-rade and rodeo.

For the first time, I watched the Preston Parade on Main St. Our usual spot in front of Webb's Funeral Home was already spoken for. It wouldn't have been the same without Grandma, anyway.

Dad found the perfect spot for himself to watch the parade and have a cool drink.

Watching the Parade with Aunt Pam, Kimm, Chainey, Anna, Mariah and my family was a joyful event. Really. I will remember it always.

The Preston Parade Committee should get an award. There really is no other parade like it. They throw enormous amounts of candy, especially if you wave at them, and not only salt water taffy, caramels, and Bit o' Honeys, but hats, shirts, and even toilet paper.

Bella's a smart kid, she's wavin'.

THE highlight. Me, myself and I and a Pepsi truck. I should be hired to advertise for the company. Nobody appreciates a well poured, fresh fountain Pepsi as much as I.
This picture is a framer.

Thank you, Dad and Di, for the night at the carnival. My girls loved every second of it. Well, except for the part when I almost slapped a carnie in the face and knocked out one of his last two remaining teeth for stealing my baby girls money. But, lucky for him, I, as Richard, have acquired the Christian Spirit. Yes, lucky for him...

I think Katie talked T into going into some strange booth and had herself surgically attached to him.

I didn't see these girls all night. They were having way too much fun to hang out with me.

Well, our evening has come to an end. After sleeping on a deflated air mattress, Melisa and Taylor took us up on our offer to share the trailer.

Anna isn't ready for bed.

Bella is ready and her sweet Aunt Melisa cuddled with her while I went to visit with Aunt Pam and Kimm. But before I left the trailer I took a shot of children's Benedryl, the farm is not good for my allergies...

After taking a shot of Benedryl and staying up talking until 2 a.m. I started to feel a little funny... In more ways than one. I thought a few pranks were in order.

This is my skull on a pole outside the window to scare them trick.

I then played a beautiful rendition of Jingle Bells on some old bottles.

I now tried the old skull on a pole with a hatchet in it's head trick. I guess this was the final straw. Aunt Pam and Kimm came out and stole my lantern. Aunt Pam was concerned about my mental health.

Now, really. Who's mental health is in danger here?

After a stern lecture, "Hermoine and Dumbledore" sent me to bed. Party Poopers.

Saying goodbye to the farm was not as easy as it looked. Each of us have our own memories and being here brings them back to life.

My sweet, beautiful, kind, generous, AWESOME sister-in-law, Melisa, has no patience for my picture taking. I just wanted to record that she was there and is part of a fabulous family with roots that run deep.

Melisa, I heart you.

Taylor, on the other hand, always complies with my requests. I am sending this picture to President Oboma...

There are all sorts of treasures to be found at the farm and The Lodge, including a scale. Kimm reported that it was in perfect working order.

Goodbye Farm, until we meet again...

Goodbye, Preston.
I heart you.

I didn't have the courage to take a picture of Grandma's house on Oneida St. It isn't hers anymore and she is not there. It is just a house now, Grandma made it a home.

Before leaving we stopped to put flowers on Grandma's grave. While there I pointed out to the girls my cousin's grave. Andrea belongs to Richard and Julie and I was too young when she passed to remember her, but I know my sister loves her to this day. She has Andrea's and Grandma's pictures next to eachother on Grandma's piano in her home.

I asked the girls to be reverent at the gravesite, but we all look just terribly sad. Mariah was quick to note that Grandma passed just a few months before she came to our family. Katie felt special because at the tender age of four months, she was able to attend Grandma's funeral. Maddy thinks she had it the best, though. She was able to meet Grandma as a baby and stay in her home. Bella announced that she and Grandma were in Heaven at the same time. Hard to top that one.

I never knew my Grandpa Westerberg, but he must have been quite a man to catch Grandma's heart.

Grandma. I miss you. I am grateful that I can still feel you when I touch a quilt you have made, when I go to the temple or whenever I see a butterfly. Until we meet again.

I heart you.