In fact, it's half way through TheReunion - or even 2/3 of the way through if you count the blissful Friday of prep. And while 75% of that Friday was exactly like every preReunion Friday for the past 20 years, the 25% that was new was almost the most fun of all.
We always book a manicure and pedicure for early on that Friday but somehow I screwed up my scheduling so while BH had her toes pampered I swiftly dashed through the store picking up paper products. That's one of my contributions to TheReunion. The other is footing the bill for mailing out invitations. In return? I don't cook a thing. There is always more than enough food (though I do worry about not having enough, that particular anxiety is all about TheQueen's self doubt, not about reality)
New this year was a convenient appointment I could schedule in Richmond so that BH and I could have lunch in Carytown.
We dined al fresco because while the food at CanCan is simply beyond delicious - it's a noisy restaurant. Besides, inside the music was piped, outside we were entertained with the real thing.
In addition to dining, there was luxury grocery shopping - one more thing to make TheReunion weekend special.
This has been a particularly cranky summer for TheQueen but Saturday morning there was no anxiety about anything. There was some swift and efficient house cleaning since one never knows if there will be After-Reunion guests. There were not - this year - but that only made coming home at the end of the day particularly nice - a squeaky clean house just for the two of us.
There were already cousins in the church yard when ThePrince and I arrived and we were soon spreading out food and photos to share with all. The oldest among us are a group of first and second and third cousins descended from this union:
But there are plenty more cousins to go around. Cousins who are even from different Hoskins lines. This year we were blessed with a new Hannah!
And lots of pretty teenage girls to make the Granddaddies smile.
And what looks to me like some hungry cousins wondering when we'll sing our traditional hymn and ask the blessing.
The food really does surpass expectations. My question here is - why is it the slimmest slightest cousins are the ones that bring platters full of butter-filled deliciousness? I never saw so many ways to use chocolate and there were spiced peaches, pulled mint candies, and banana puddings as well. Oh yes. and Fried Chicken.
This year we didn't have any of the Warner line with us nor were either of the Eastern Shore Eubanks able to come. The Hill line has sadly died out, though Cousin Thomas will live forever in my heart because he welcomed me so warmly at my first Hoskins Reunion. This was the first time in ages that Cousin Elizabeth C couldn't be with us and I felt the loss. But those of us who could come made everything feel warm, welcoming and joy filled.
And once we were replete with deliciousness, there were photographs to be taken in the sanctuary of the old family church and songs to be sung by the musically inclined.
So, you'd think we were ready to go home by then, right? Wrong. Groups paired off, drifting in clumps, or headed to family homes. We spent our late afternoon with the H's at Hillsborough. One of these days I'm actually going swimming there. Though I took my suit, I kept getting waylaid by fascinating conversations with cousins.
And so, Saturday closed softly with a quiet green drive home through King & Queen and Essex Counties. Today, some of us will drive down to Mathews to visit with More Cousins Some More because, there can never be enough cousins.
We always book a manicure and pedicure for early on that Friday but somehow I screwed up my scheduling so while BH had her toes pampered I swiftly dashed through the store picking up paper products. That's one of my contributions to TheReunion. The other is footing the bill for mailing out invitations. In return? I don't cook a thing. There is always more than enough food (though I do worry about not having enough, that particular anxiety is all about TheQueen's self doubt, not about reality)
New this year was a convenient appointment I could schedule in Richmond so that BH and I could have lunch in Carytown.We dined al fresco because while the food at CanCan is simply beyond delicious - it's a noisy restaurant. Besides, inside the music was piped, outside we were entertained with the real thing.
In addition to dining, there was luxury grocery shopping - one more thing to make TheReunion weekend special.
This has been a particularly cranky summer for TheQueen but Saturday morning there was no anxiety about anything. There was some swift and efficient house cleaning since one never knows if there will be After-Reunion guests. There were not - this year - but that only made coming home at the end of the day particularly nice - a squeaky clean house just for the two of us.
There were already cousins in the church yard when ThePrince and I arrived and we were soon spreading out food and photos to share with all. The oldest among us are a group of first and second and third cousins descended from this union: |
| J T and Hannah Elizabeth Hoskins |
 |
| The Cousins |
And lots of pretty teenage girls to make the Granddaddies smile.
And what looks to me like some hungry cousins wondering when we'll sing our traditional hymn and ask the blessing. The food really does surpass expectations. My question here is - why is it the slimmest slightest cousins are the ones that bring platters full of butter-filled deliciousness? I never saw so many ways to use chocolate and there were spiced peaches, pulled mint candies, and banana puddings as well. Oh yes. and Fried Chicken. This year we didn't have any of the Warner line with us nor were either of the Eastern Shore Eubanks able to come. The Hill line has sadly died out, though Cousin Thomas will live forever in my heart because he welcomed me so warmly at my first Hoskins Reunion. This was the first time in ages that Cousin Elizabeth C couldn't be with us and I felt the loss. But those of us who could come made everything feel warm, welcoming and joy filled.
And once we were replete with deliciousness, there were photographs to be taken in the sanctuary of the old family church and songs to be sung by the musically inclined.So, you'd think we were ready to go home by then, right? Wrong. Groups paired off, drifting in clumps, or headed to family homes. We spent our late afternoon with the H's at Hillsborough. One of these days I'm actually going swimming there. Though I took my suit, I kept getting waylaid by fascinating conversations with cousins. And so, Saturday closed softly with a quiet green drive home through King & Queen and Essex Counties. Today, some of us will drive down to Mathews to visit with More Cousins Some More because, there can never be enough cousins.
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