4 days later...

Sounds like a zombie movie, huh? But it's not. Thanksgiving weekend is over. My house is all decked out for Christmas now and the freaky pilgrim people are put away. Christmas lights being put up a few strands at a time and there are tiny bits of our artificial tree all over the carpeting until I get a chance to vacuum it up.On Thursday we had 11 people total, so we were able to fit everyone around our dining room table. My son and his girlfriend got to sit on the piano bench at the end. *the hot seat* They felt like celebrities. Had company arrive that night to stay over.

On Friday is when the big action started though. My daughters, sister in law and niece went Black Friday shopping starting at 6am. More family arrived. Some left and moved into a hotel for that evening. We didn't kick them out, but the house was going to be full for Friday night... Robb took the 3 turkeys and 3 hams(after I sliced them) to the hall and started cooking. I went shopping for a few last minute things and picked up the rootbeer keg with my sister.

After more running around and then stopping back at the house for all the things I didn't want to forget for the dinner, we all ended up at the hall. This place is great! A huge kitchen with 3 stoves and ovens. Maximum counter space. Microwave, extra dishes and silverware if needed. Huge room to set up 10+ tables and chairs. Area for kids to play with the playdough and board games. Like I said, perfect!

The whole afternoon was filled with prep work, visiting, laughing, ordering kids out of the kitchen, etc.The kids went down the block at 6pm and sang Christmas carols with the towns people while the tree lighting ceremony commenced. They got cold and came back before it was lit. When they came back, we prayed and dug in.

Robb counted them all up on Saturday morning with another sister of mine and they came up with 83 people as our final tally. We had 96 last year, but that was counting the people who came in by mistake thinking it was the firemen's chili feed...Some teens and myself tried to take pie down to the police station downstairs, but found out they were all out on patrol or trying to avoid the huge party upstairs that was causing such a racket. Yeah, us! Probably sounded like an elephant luau...

With the help of my younger sister, we managed to embarrass my older sister's minister of a husband. Yes, in addition to getting him laughing, we got him to blush. We were of course discussing the talent show and what talents they could do. I mean, they HAVE 14 kids...

The talent show started when all the perishable items were put away and tables cleared. It only lasted 1.5 hours this year, I think because one of my sisters banned her 5 year old from doing several improptu piano performances like he had last year.

Meri played her clarinet. Maddy played a piano piece. Robb played the bagpipes, and I did my 2nd degree black belt taekwondo form. I had brought my uniform along and I think shocked some of my relatives who didn't know I had been in martial arts for 19 years. (well - 9, I did take a 10 year break) When I got done with my form and sat down, my heart was pumping like crazy through my neck. I think that form should only be done on an empty stomach and after lots of stretches... Stroke city, here I come! But thankfully I calmed down and my heart rate got back to normal during the rest of the show. I need to lose some weight before I do THAT in front of my relatives again. Too many cameras around! Oh! And a cousin, who is not IN Taekwondo critiqued me and said that a niece did hers better... He's not invited next year. :\

Then after cleaning up the hall and loading up our cars, my house then filled up with sleeping bags and kids. I think someone counted 25 people sleeping in our house. All adults got a bed, but all kids were camped out on floors, couches and the futon in my office. Robb and I didn't even sleep there. We made sure everyone had enough blankets and we locked up the house at 11pm and slept elsewhere! Came back at 6:30am and got the breakfast ready.

That next morning a bunch of relatives came over for breakfast, kind of in shifts. Robb and I had biscuits and gravy, eggs made to order, pancakes, juice and coffee available and got more visiting in before everyone scattered back to their home towns all over the midwest.

We've accumulated a lot of leftover things that people left behind. Socks, blankets, gloves and a spiderman hat. Also found a skirt my mom couldn't find and a whole packet of pictures that she was having people label at the reunion. And for some reason a bunch of boy scout booklets from the 50s....

Yeah - and that was just Friday through Saturday morning! Part 2 tomorrow I guess!