"The family is one of nature's masterpieces."
- George Santayana
I love this moment. Sometimes, I feel like when everyone gets together, they all look like a pile of puppies. Everyone is sitting on top of each other and so giddy and happy to be with their brothers and sisters and cousins and grandparents. It is a beautiful thing.
I've been trying hard to capture that feeling. I think I'm getting better at it, but I know I have a long way to go. This year we introduced sound, for the first time. I got a little £3 mic off Amazon and hooked it up to an old ipod for a makeshift voice recorder. It actually did pretty well, although a few of the interviews didn't actually record (luckily the camera also records sound). So, the interview portion, especially, is a work in progress... but I feel like in a couple of years, looking back on these videos will be extra special because of it.
So, anyway, to finalise all that was the 2015 set of Young family goodness, here is Part 2!
Jon's family are literally the kind of people that just sit down to a piano, start playing and everyone else comes around and starts singing. This is something that still baffles me-- not just because I lack the necessary skills to carry out said singing/playing, but also because there just no shame-- no judgement. Everyone just sings to be happy. I think more people in this world should just sing to be happy.
This game "Shoot the Moon" was madness. It sucked all of us in... but Dan was the only one that was able to master it *cough* hack it *cough* to get that little steel ball to the end. How was it so captivating??
One of the events we had this year was a talent show. The kids were the staple entertainment, with everything ranging from music to karate to storytelling. I was pretty impressed by the skills, and showmanship, of my nieces and nephews.
I think having opportunities like that to perform or speak in front of a large group of people is one of the assets of having a large family... and really Mormonism at large. By the time a Mormon-born child hits adulthood, they've definitely had their fair share of speaking in public (in various church settings), which is pretty fantastic thing to be able to take through life.
Perhaps my favourite act was by this little nugget below. Ryan is always telling stories. Always. He narrated breakfast every morning with a panel-by-panel recounting of every Calvin and Hobbes comic he'd ever read (which are substantial-- I never heard a repeat).
His skill to share therefore was, naturally, storytelling. He told the story of the Three Little Bears in his own words. Interestingly, this Goldilocks was discerning not only in coziness, but also in the quality/price of furniture. A recent trip to IKEA had apparently helped Ryan realise that all chairs are not made the same.
After the talent show, we had our legendary film festival. All the many hours of digitising video and editing footage were made completely worth it from the looks on everyone's faces.
The kids watched the films over and over again. Our Youngling Bunch video, which hadn't made rave reviews on the first viewing, eventually became the most quoted film. Strangely though, the funny bits that I was most proud of fell a little flat, but random lines that were never intended to be funny were the bits everyone was quoting. Further proof I guess that you never know how people will respond to art. :)
After the kids went to bed, then the real party started. We played bananagrams like there was NO TOMORROW! Maybe this sounds lame, but that would only be because you've never played with my family. We have a several very intelligent people... and a few that are more than a little competitive. We doubled up the tiles for a mega-game (plantain-grams?) and it was so much fun!
We also had a lot of really deep conversations and even hosted a family TED talk. Dan (a computer programmer) discussed Internet safety, Matt C. (hedge fund manager) discussed the global economy and politics, Matt Y. talked about the research he did with non-profits at his recent internship, and Liz discussed some really powerful and deep insights about parenthood. We all walked away being totally blown away by the people we are related to.
And finally, just a note on the epiloque.... On the last day of the reunion, I realised I hadn't interviewed myself (which really does tend to be awkward, especially if there are children around watching). All the adults were busy, so Ingrid asked if she could film me. I figured, "Sure, I'll just have her hold the camera and I'll just answer my own questions."
But this little cutie was already cueing up. She cut me off and took the interview in her own direction. Have we found a future Barbara Walters? Perhaps... ;)
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