...continuation of our nauvoo/reunion trip

...we have a great time in Nauvoo---there are about 40 of us for the reunion---seein the sights---we go to Sunset on the Mississippi (a musical show that the missionaries, senior and young, put on every night at dusk)...President Ueckdorf is there with his family, doing a cross the country church history tour---cool. oh BTW---I am totally serving a mission in Nauvoo---you get to perform and sing all day and night---sign me up!

We then head up to Freeport---land of my inheritance----for the remainder of the reunion. Freeport is in the northwest corner of Illinois---farm country---about 25,000 people in this little city. We take up about 15 rooms in the old Stephenson Hotel---which is now a Hampton Inn--in busy downtown Freeport---okay, its not busy---but it is downtown. Freeport is famous for being one of the sites of the Lincoln-Douglas debates...yeah---back in the mid 1800's.Home of the Freeport Pretzels (my high school mascot---really). We picked up Joe & Leah (get to see her baby bump!)(yes---i bought them matching maternity tops!) at the bus station (they flew in for the Freeport part of the reunion).

Friday night was our traditional lip sync performance. Our family did a mix (thank you MC DJ Hall)---Lyric started out with Brandi Carlile "The story" (great song!)---Ace literally jumped in with "Kung-fu Fighting"---Leah & Joe did Phil Vassar's "Just Another Day in Paradise"---Jas & David were the "Pirates Who Dont Do Anything" (are you seeing how eclectic our tastes are?)---then Dave & I boogeyed in with Flo-Rida's "Low"---yeah---those are apple-bottom jeans and Dave has Reeboks with the straps....

Lest you think it is only our family---ah--contraire!---My sister Eden & her hubby, Bill---with my mom---did their tribute to Weird Al Yankovich's "My Bologna", Matt and his family did their traditional veggie-tales tune, this year it was "I Love My Lips" (does it get better than Veggie-tales to entertain adults and kids!?), My brother Ace did "I'm a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch" (a song we all learned as kids---thanks, Mom) ---, Pyper and her fam did the whole rock band set-up of Aerosmith's Walk This Way.......and Marc and his whole gang (he's got 8 grandkids!) danced to the Cha-Cha Shuffle----who knew Kyle could move like that! Marc's granddaughters, Kaylee and Taylor sang "Loathing" from Wicked---so cute.

We then went and watched the guys do arguably (my BIL is a lawyer) legal fireworks up at the church parking lot---and totally legal fireworks at my brother's house....and this was all just on Friday!