Cornish Family Reunion 2012

Matt and I met in May of 2010.  A few short weeks later I was flying to Ghana and he and the kids (which I hadn't met yet) were flying to Georgia for the Cornish Family reunion.  I remember him telling me about their reunions before he left and took pictures of everyone so I could begin to get acquainted with them.  The reunion was in John Tanner State Park and he didn't have any cell service there.  So he drove out a time or two to send me a text or call.  The first time I actually "met" the kids was on Skype while they were all in Georgia.  But that another story.

Two years later, at the next Cornish family reunion at John Tanner State Park, it was the Matt and Vicki Cornish family that were in charge :)

Matt volunteered for us to be in charge this year.  I was a little overwhelmed at the thought, not knowing his family very well, having never attended a reunion with them, the reunion being held in Georgia, and being 7+ months pregnant.  Matt's mom sent me the schedule for the previous reunion, which helped a lot.  Then I thought up a few themes we could use and had the kids pick one.  They settled on an "Army of Helaman" (which is what I hoped they would pick).

For several weeks before the reunion I worked on things and would run the plans by Matt and the kids.  It really was a happy distraction.  I was glad the kids were excited about what we were planning and had different ways for them to help.  The kids love going to Georgia, and I love that they love it.

We flew out on June 2 from the "new" Provo Airport.  It was awesome!  We drove to Spencer's house and then he took us to the airport.  The line was longer than I expected, but once people actually started getting checked in it moved really fast.  While we were waiting we made a bathroom stop.  They provided toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouth wash.  And the lounge looked like a front room.  It was cute little airport.























They didn't start boarding until about 25 minutes before our scheduled take off, but we left on time :)  What a happy little traveling group we were.  I really like these people!

Amy and I got to be seat buddies.  She was a little nervous so we pulled out some activity books and kept ourselves quite busy with word searches and picture finds.  She is a delight. 

We had a few stops to make in Georgia before we headed to the cabin for the reunion.  One of those stops was the Dekalb Farmers Market.  This was one of the first things Matt told me about Atlanta.  It is one of his happy places.  It is a gigantic warehouse with foods from all over the world.  The produce section is crazy (that's what is pictured in the top right of the collage).  And the kids counted almost one hundred types of cheese.  At the far end, however, is the mother of all spice walls.  I'm not kidding, it is ridiculous.

We weren't supposed to take any pictures (seems weird to me) so I was sneaky and got the in the above collage inside the market, but I wish I had gotten the spice wall.  I got a picture off the internet of this little section of the spices & seasonings wall.  However, look at the following picture and then multiply it by... mmm, about ten, and you'll have an idea of what the full wall looks like.  Each of the little containers ranges in price from about fifty cents to maybe $1.50.  We walk up and down, pushing on the lids a little to get the smell of the season/spice.  It really is fun.  We walked out with several containers in hand.

Another stop we made was at Grandma and Grandpa Cornishes house.  They were renting out their house to a family while they lived in the Dominican Republic.  We had a family service project of cleaning up the yard and working on some house projects.  There is a such a good spirit when serving others.  

These are some mean bushes that live right outside the back entrance to the house.  The boys (Adam II, David, Matt, and Tyler) worked on trimming them back for quite a while.  

There may have been a moment or two of distraction... Emily doing a "Mulan" pose, Matt pushing Maria on the huge tree swing, and Amy doing some gymnastics.  

It was decided that there were enough Cornish cousins that were 12 or older that a trip to the Atlanta Temple to do baptisms for the dead would be a great tradition to start.  It was wonderful.  To be in the temple with family really is a unique experience. One I hope to have many, many times in my life.

We tried to get a family picture while we were there.  I'm not sure I would consider any of these a success, but attempts were made...

From the temple our family headed out to the cabin to start setting a few things up.  We were all excited about the reunion and it was a fun bonus family time that we were able to spend together.  So, here are some pictures and a few brief descriptions of our time at the John Tanner State Park.

The helped make several signs that went along with our "Army" theme.  Emily came up with this darling way using masking tape and black marker.  We had the welcome sign, one for the "Mess Hall" and for the "Barracks."  We loved how they turned out.  We divided everyone into an army and had colored camo headbands for them.  We also made dog tags for everyone and a booklet that we used during morning and evening devotionals.  So as each family arrived they had to check in and were given their book, their dog tags, and told what army they were a part of.  Then they were given a brief-briefing on the roles and responsibilities of the armies and where to find their assignments (in the booklet). 

I loved how lots of the kids (and Grandma) wore their bandannas and dog tags around during the reunion.  

Each army was assigned a meal to prepare.  Adam, an expert on pancakes, lead the blue army in breakfast.  Each army also made a flag that we hung in the main area.  It was a fun way for me to start to get to know different nieces and nephews.

Each family was also in charge of conducting a devotional.  We started the first night by introducing the story of the Army of Helaman to everyone.  We had gotten some butcher paper and attempted to draw out the main events of the story to have as a reference for the rest of the week.  Each morning and evening the family in charge would have a few verses of the story that they talked about and shared a message that they got from it.  At the first devotional our family introduced everyone else to a "J.O.T." (Just One Thing).  After the devotional we had a minute or two that everyone wrote a JOT in their booklet of something they learned from the devotional.

One of my favorite things was that after the evening devotionals we had a "Commanding Officers Quiz."  I'd sent out a survey to all the adults a few days before the reunion with questions like, "Do you bite your ice cream or strictly lick?" and "How did you get one of your scars?" and "What is something you wish you could still do?"  Each night we read a few of the questions and the responses people made.  Then we'd try to guess who said what.

We had some structured time that different people were assigned to prepare for such as crafts, service, games, and a talent show.  I don't have pictures from any of these events (I'm going to blame being pregnant and tired), but I think everyone enjoyed them.  Our family had a craft activity and decided to make our own chalk.  It took longer to dry in Georgia than the practice runs in Utah, but it turned out fun.  Adam and James were in charge of games.  They came up with several including a tug-o-war, racing while balancing a bean bag on a stick, and some water games.  Despite a minor/major accident during the tug-o-war, we had a great time.


One of my other favorite activities was the great marshmallow launching activity.  We used to do this at the end of the school year.  We paired the kids up with an adult or older cousin and gave them a bag of materials (tongue depressors, elastics, paper clips, milk lids, etc.) that they could use to make their marshmallow launcher.  I was queen of the glue gun, so I got to watch all the teams figure out their designs.  Some got frustrated, some tried several different things, some were done in a matter of a few minutes, others took half an hour.  Then we had three events: distance, target shooting, and tip the tower.  I can't remember how long the whole event took, but we sure enjoyed it.

There was also free time.  There are two lakes side by side (I think one may have been man-made).  The cabin is right next to one and is basically like a private lake for whoever has the cabin.  Awesome!  Then there is another one that has a beach.  Before we left for the reunion some calls were made and we were able to borrow several canoes.  It was such a great way to enjoy some time with some one or relax in the calm of the day.

Here are some pictures of the kids and cousins at the beach lake.  These pictures make me happy just looking at them.

It was a great trip and a wonderful family reunion.  I'm looking forward to the next one :)

Happy Happy Birthday Matthew, Dear!!

I have a hard time knowing what to get people for their birthdays.  And Matt is tricky to buy for because he likes techy stuff.  I'm not very tech-savvy, so I wouldn't even know where to begin.  But Matt also likes the great outdoors, so this year that is the direction I went.  Our friend Josh, who we love, has some off road recreational vehicles.  He also has a trailer and a car to haul them with.  So I gave Josh a call a few weeks before Matt's birthday to see if we could borrow his four-wheeler.  Josh suggested that given my "condition" we might prefer the Rhino.  I didn't know what that was, but it ended up being perfect!!  

On Monday 30 April (Matt's birthday is actually the 28th, but we were at Wood Badge then) I assigned Matt to some errands.  I packed up a lunch, complete with a birthday cupcake and some decorations.  When he got home I packed up the car and we headed to Josh's house.  When Matt saw the trailer hooked up and the Rhino on back he got excited (yeah!).  I told him I didn't actually know where to go, but that Josh had suggested some property Matt's grandpa had bought years ago called Tucahoe.  Matt was even more excited (double yeah!!).  We went to his uncles house and got a map of the location and some additional directions and we were off.

We found the turn off pretty easily (thanks to the added directions we got from Aunt Rosemary).  Matt parked and then started getting things set up for us to head up the mountain.  I packed the back of the Rhino with our lunch and blanket.  And we were off... though not without our safety goggles.

(So Matt actually only put the goggles on for the photo.  My eyes, however, remained safe for at least 20 more minutes... before the goggles started making my nose sweat.)

I was grateful to Josh's suggestions that we take the Rhino so we could ride side by side, but also because I realized I didn't know how I would have done trying to hold onto Matt if I was on the back of a four-wheeler. We bumped down the dirt road with some air in our face, but mostly dust.

 We bounced along for an hour or so, following trails, trying to find the Tucahoe property, bumping down ravines, following empty stream beds, and eventually realizing that I was 7 months pregnant and could only do so much bouncing and bumping.  We did happen upon some dear right close to the path we were one.

 

It was a pretty day with some high clouds that kept it cool.  We found a shady little spot there wasn't a blade of grass to be found, but we liked our spot.  I hung some decorations and set up our lunch, even had Norah Jones playing on my computer in the background.  We enjoyed our picnic and birthday cupcake, laughing and relaxing before finally heading back down the mountain. 

We had a great time, mostly because we could enjoy the day together.  Happy Birthday, Matt!!  How grateful I am that you were born!!

Wood Badge

Several months ago, when Matt was working with the young men, he signed us up to participate in the Wood Badge training.  "What is Wood Badge?" some of you might be asking yourself, as did I.  It is advanced scout leadership training.  Matt is a big fan of the scouting program, so it seemed natural for him to be excited for the 6 day (3 days, 2 weekends in a row) training.  I, on the other hand, was not expecting to participate.  But Matt asked if I could come since I worked with the youth in our ward.  Permission was granted and so we looked forward to this little adventure together.  It turned out that Matt's birthday fell on the first weekend of the training.  So I planned an activity for the Monday between the two weekends (Matt's birthday post is next). 

There were 9 people from our ward that attended this Wood Badge (out of about 70 total), including my cute friend Whitney who is the primary president in our ward.  Whitney and I were the only women in attendance, and what made it more fun was that I was 7 months pregnant and Whitney was 5 months along.  

I wasn't expecting to enjoy the training as much as I did, but it was extremely well planned and our scoutmaster's focus was very applicable to my work with the young women. It was basically that there is a great spirit and power that can be felt from and shared with youth and that scouting was a means to tapping into that spirit.  

So here is the basic rundown of how things went.  We arrived early on Thursday April 26 to check in.  The tents were already set up.  Whitney and I were tent-mates.  Our husbands (her husband, Dustin, was also attending) set us both up in our tents.  Matt had borrowed two air mattresses and a cot for me to sleep on.  It ended up that I would have had to get a running start to make it on top of all that, so I ended up with the two mattresses on the ground.  Whitney and I were both most worried about how we'd sleep, especially since the nearest bathroom was in the lodge... which was across the field, up a little hill, and through a maze of tables and chairs.  That sounded like recipe for disaster for two pregnant ladies in the middle of the night.  In the end we were both blessed to not only sleep well but not have to make any mid-night runs.  A true tender mercy :)

The very first Wood Badge training was in 1919 in England at Gilwell Field.  Now, wherever a Wood Badge training is conducted in the world, there is a designated "Gilwell Field" and the group is organized into a temporary troop.  Troop 1.  Our Gilwell Field was in front of the tents.  We had a flag ceremony there each morning and evening.

The troop is split up into "critter patrols". Matt and I were put into different patrols (there are 8 total).  He was an Owl and I was a Buffalo.  

At the morning assembly there were a number of things done, like a flag raising, scoutmaster minute, and each patrol had a cheer.  Many patrols changed their cheers almost daily.  Some were so funny.  The Owls had one where they sang "Who let the dogs out?" and then did the "Hoo? Hoo?  Hoo? Hoo?" like an owl hooting.  Here they are "hoo hoo hoo hoo-ting"

We, the mighty Buffalo, had one where we sang, "Oh, give me a home, where the buffalo rooooaaaam!" (Maybe you had to be there for the cheers to be funny.)  We spent most of our time with our patrols.  I'm not sure what my patrol is doing here... but apparently we weren't embarrassed about it.

Most of our days were spent in class-type settings participating in presentations and doing activities that taught or modeled different principles. They were followed by lots of discussion.  This game set the foundation for a discussion on unity and competition.  I was super frustrated during the game, but felt like a gained a lot through the discussion afterwards.  (You can see the rest of my patrol was equally frustrated.  Er...)

During meal times you would hear people yell, "PRESENTATION!" and they would stand up and give a person or a patrol an award for something.  They were goofy but fun.  Our patrol won a candy trophy during one of the activities.  However, we really shouldn't have won, so we made a PRESENTATION to the patrol that rightfully should have won.  But they gave it away to another patrol for something else.  It ended up getting passed around several times until it was returned to back to us.  We laughed when we realized that by the time it got back to us all the candy and soda had been eaten and it was just empty boxes/cans. 

Matt and I got to eat a few meals together, but for the most part we were with our patrols.  There is a (kinda weird) rule that you're not allowed to hug others at Wood Badge.  We got called on it several times.  But there wasn't a "no kissing" rule...

I just liked this picture of Matt.  He was a few tables down from me during the presentations so I would often look over and catch his eye.  This experience will be one of those fun memories we talk about for a long time.

Each morning and evening at the assembly all the patrols stood in "Gilwell Order," which means we made a large square with the staff making one side and all the patrols in order from beavers, bobwhites, eagles, foxes, owls, bears, buffalos, and antelopes.  At the end of the assemblies the Wood Badge song was sung by each patrol in order.  I cried as we sang it on the last day (I blame it on being pregnant.)

"I used to be a Baffalo, 

A good ol' Baffalo, too.

But now I'm finished Buffalo-ing, 

I don't know what to do.

I'm growing old and feeble,

And I can Buffalo no more.

So I'm going to work my ticket if I can.

Back to Gilwell, happy land. 

I'm going to work my ticket if I can."

Truly, there was a wonderful spirit about the training.  I don't think there was a presentation given that didn't include the presenter sharing his/her testimony.  Our scoutmaster and assistant scoutmaster were brothers and clearly had a great love for the youth and for the gospel.  We had a great time with the members of our ward who attended. 

Matt & Vicki.  Wood Badge 2012.