Family Gathering

(portrait of Grandma by Aunt Marsha)

I traveled to Southern Utah this past weekend for the funeral of my grandmother. She was 101 years old and left behind quite a posterity that includes 101 great grandchildren. This blog isn’t a place for me to get personal about funerals and family, but I did want to share something my family did that made this weekend special for us, and dare I say, “fun”?

This was the first time all eight of us siblings (yes, eight) had been together in something like 7 years, so one of my sisters had the idea that it would be so much more enjoyable if we could stay together instead of in individual motel rooms. She used this Vacation Rental website to find this cool historic home. Because we were a last minute booking, we got a 50% discount. So after splitting the cost between all of us, it was less expensive than the cheapest motel we could have stayed at in the area. It also had a kitchen, swimming pool (cold, but still used), tennis courts, and a Jacuzzi (well-used). But that isn’t the coolest part.

When we found the time to go and read the historic marker at the front of the home, we discovered that this home was originally built by my great-great grandfather, the grandpa of my grandma who died. (Or someone with the same name, in the same area, at the same time…).

It was wonderful to come together at a time like this. The children were able to play together and the grown-ups even played a bit, too. If you are having a family reunion or other gathering, I would recommend considering looking into a vacation home or cabin rental. There are a few different websites with this service, and all kinds of different properties available.