Earnhardt Reunion

Judy, Jill, Chip, and Grandma

Mom and Dad in the crazy wind. Thankful there were no tornadoes here.

Judy listening to tales from the Earnhardt clan

Alexander

Boys will be boys, Drew looks like he is trying to strangle Alex and he is just smiling.

Clowning around outside the beautifully redone church hut

Andrew sitting with Aunt Judy

Grandma sitting there covered in her family blanket.

We had a lovely time attending the Earnhardt family reunion on the 16th of April. This year it took place at Immanuel Lutheran Church. In my opinion the perfect location as it was such a big part of our family's life. I have onlybeen bak there once in the ten years since my wedding. The hut has since been remodeled and is absolutely beautiful. It is soon to be renamed after Pastor Sheeks and his wife Kim for all their dedication over the years. It is hard to believe that he has been serving the people of Immanuel for thirty years. Being there brought back wonderful memories of going with my Grandmother and Grandfather to church and also of both my wedding and my cousin Dawn's.

The reunion was nice although the turnout was not as good as we hoped. Unfortunately the weather forecast was quite nasty for the day. Lucky for us the really sever weather stayed away from the little town of Rockwell. Unlucky for me, the weather hit a little too close to home. Both Raleigh and Holly Springs got slammed with tornadoes along with many other places close by. We were lucky, it stopped about halfway down the road that we live off of. Definitely too close to home!

As usual we were treated with many stories about growing up as part of the Earnhardt family. We also got to see some family memories in pictures and mementos of the family. I chose to bring the barbie dolls that my cousins and I used to play with. The girl was missing half her body parts so I left her at home in favor of the two fuzzy headed boy barbie dolls. I smiled as my kids sat there at a back table and played with those dolls just as I had. My sister chose to bring some of Grandmothers paints, brushes and one painting. I remember her painting pictures, stools, and knick knacks and wish that I could have inherited that gene. It was a lovely day, aside from the rain, and I enjoyed visiting and listening to all the stories so much. The only thing missing was more of the Earnhardt family.