Spears Family Reunion

This past Saturday was the Spears Family Reunion. That would be my mom's mom's side of the family. I haven't been to one of these for a long time, so I was looking forward to seeing some relatives I haven't seen for a while. As Richard and I were driving up to Wheeler farm for the reunion, I had a flood of memories come back. Both of my mom's parents were born and raised in Tennessee. So during my growing up years, we made many, many, many trips there to visit, practically every year. I remember visiting this small town of Cookville where my grandma grew up and spending lots of time with my second cousins. I absolutely loved/love it there! We'd pick peaches, blackberries, raspberries, play childhood games, go visit local sites, go to Memphis, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, etc, etc! I would love to take Richard and the kids back there someday. It is so beautiful, green, hot, and humid! My grandpa's farm that he grew up on is still around and owned by some family. I have memories of staying there and the house didn't have a toilet! We used the outhouse. It freaked me out all the time. I remember not sleeping at night cause I had to go so bad, but going out in the dark to the outhouse was not an option. One great memory that I'm glad I have is knowing my mom's grandparents. I was young and they were pretty old! My great grandma died first, then my great grandpa missed her so much, he died a month later.
Anyways, it was a lot of fun being able to see some cousins I haven't seen for a long time at the reunion, including my second cousin, Emily who was also my companion in the MTC! My Dad worked there for a long time and probably pulled some strings to get us to be comps. She went to Winnipeg, Canada which is where my husband grew up. We had a good time catching up!

Me and Emily:

Here's my immediate fam:

Here's the extended fam: (my mom's siblings and families)

Here's the larger group including my some of my mom's cousins. Unfortunately, a lot of the family couldn't come or live in other states now.

Here's a few of my really awesome first cousins!