For the Rest of Us

Anyone who knows me well knows that my favorite holiday of the year is Festivus. (And Seinfeld fans recognize the allusion!) About 11 years ago my dad's side of the family gathered together over the 4th of July holiday for a mini, non-formal reunion. My Grandma Polly was born on July 3 so it seemed like a good time to celebrate family. We had so much fun on that extended weekend that we decided to do it again the following year. The second year my cousin Karri made t-shirts commemorating the occasion and the third year we dubbed it "Festivus." As siblings and cousins married and procreated, the gathering continued to grow! Now it's not surprising to have over 60 folks at Festivus, both family and friends.

When we discovered our due date for Quinn was July 4, we realized that we'd have to forgo Festivus this year. This makes me really sad, bordering depression. Hence, we've considered some crazy scenerios to make our trip happen, including, but not limited to:

1. Driving up with a newborn baby. (I do realize that this would turn the 16 hour car ride into a 24 hour car ride! Not sure Jess is up for that.)

2. Giving birth at the farm. (Hey, my cousin Melissa is a doctor and Uncle David has been around birthing animals much of his life. Most of my cousins have 3 children, that's a lot of collective knowledge of the birth and labor process. There's a commune down the road where I'm sure hippie moms have mid-wife experience.)

Reality wins and grounds us here in the south. We really aren't going to make the reunion this year.

So, one of my dear friends, knowing how very important Festivus is to me, took it upon herself to plan an alternate Festivus. Since December she's been scheming and researching the elements of our family traditions. Last weekend she brought together three of our closest families in a Festivus-for-the-rest-of-us weekend. She TOTALLY surprised me, I had no idea! (Ask Jess, I'm a super hard person to surprise!)

Let me tell you, she did the research! She emailed my cousin Karri months ago and arranged for t-shirts. She emailed my mom for family recipes. She picked Jess' brain for important activities to include. She somehow captured the Festivus spirit. I am in awe of the love that my friends showered over us! We had such a blast!

Thank you, Stephanie. You are a dear friend with amazing vision. I am so blessed by your friendship and love.