"Reunited...and it feels so good"

We spent memorial weekend in St. George. Every year we gather with relatives from my mom's side of the family to reunite and reacquaint as we usually only see each other once a year. This reunion has been held annually for the past thirty-nine years, and although we have missed a few here and there, for the most part our holiday weekend in May is spent at a lovely hotel in Dixie surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins---two, three and four times removed.
Growing up, I loved the reunion. To me it signaled the onset of summer. It has always been held in St. George, and every year we would swim to exhaustion and sunburn to the point of immobility. My sisters and I had crushes on our good looking older cousins and would giggle whenever they would throw us in the pool. We loved it when they included us in their night games of tag and hide-n-seek around the hotel complex. I loved watching my mom laugh and visit until unheard of hours of the night with her sisters, aunts and cousins...
Now my kids enjoy this family tradition every bit as much as I did. To them it signals the onset of summer. They swim to exhaustion, but thanks to spray-on sunscreen they don't have to experience that seared skin feeling. They love playing with their cousins, although it's the ones they see several times a week that they run around with. They love it when I sit out at the pool until unheard of hours of the night laughing with my sisters, aunts, and cousins...
This year was unseasonably cool in St. George. As we drove south through Beaver the temperature gauge said 36 degrees, and there were tiny snowflakes falling on our car. The weather did not deter us, however, thanks to resilient and determined kids, (a heated swimming pool and thick, snugly blankets), our yearly traditions were upheld! So much fun!!!