Taylor Family Reunion!
By: Ava Bocanegra
My family was counting down months,
weeks and days until it was time for the Taylor Family Reunion! Everyone was so
excited and could not wait until the time came. The day we were leaving to
Wasatch Mountain State Park was very busy! My dad had reserved a group campsite
that would fit a maximum of 75 people! We had a party of 42. We packed up all
of our stuff and it took a whole back of a truck and a full van. The car was so
full that we had random stuff on our laps and then we were on our way to the
Taylor Family Reunion at Wasatch Mountain State Park!
When
we arrived to the campsite everyone was putting up tents, tables, chairs, camp
grills, making beds, and just setting up everything! We all worked together to
get the job done and it went by pretty fast! After much hard work all 23 little
kids started playing Hunger Games! There was a dried up creek in our campsite
and trees everywhere! We played so the six oldest kids out of the 23 were
getting chased and caught by the younger kids. We played for a while! For
dinner we had tin foil dinners and they were so delicious! Then we little kids
continued to play Hunger Games until it was dark. We were all playing until the
peach cobbler was done and while we played hunger games the parents played
volley ball and corn hole! Everyone was really enjoying each other’s company!
When the peach cobbler was done we topped it off with lots of talking! Then
after much talking and laughing about memories and stories it was time for bed.
It was hard to fall asleep with all of the excitement around us. It was also
hard because I was in a tent full of ages 11 to 3, so there was a lot of
screaming and squealing. We stayed half the night giggling and talking and I
can assure you that the boys were not to happy about that too.
The
next morning everyone had muffins, cereal, and breakfast casseroles. Then the
little kids began to play more Hunger Games before it got too hot. While we
played the parents cleaned up all the food so all the little animals don’t eat
it all up. After cleaning and Hunger Games we all went to the park. We were at
the park for a while. Then we walked on a trail to the Huber Grove. At the
Huber Grove everyone played in the little stream that runs through it. While we were at the Huber Grove all the dads
went golfing and all of the older teen age girls went shopping. We were at the
Huber Grove for a very long time, but we had lots of fun! When we were done
with the Huber Grove we had to go back to the campsite to start on dinner. We
were preparing Barbeque Chicken and Potatoes in a Dutch oven. While dinner was
cooking we just relaxed in our camp chairs and ate snacks and told riddles to
one another and we also told jokes and stories. Finally dinner was ready! We ate
the dinner and it was so yummy! For desert we made homemade root bear and
homemade ice cream in a bag! I learned that it is tastier than store bought.
Then it was time for more volleyball corn hole and Hunger Games! Then it was
time to get ready for bed. Then before we all went to our tents all of us kids
sat around a picnic table and told scary stories. Then bedtime rolled around
and believe it or not it was actually easier to go to bed that night!
The
next morning we made omelets in a bag and had more muffins and cereal. Then we
cleaned up and got ready to go on a hike up to some boulders! The hike was long
and steep. As we were going up it just kept on getting hotter and hotter! Then
towards the top we found a stream and we cooled off and then worked our way up
to the top again. There was a high bridge that was crooked and wiggly and
underneath it was a big huge thorn bush! I was a little scared that I would
fall into that thorn bush and that would really hurt. Once we reached the top
there were huge boulders that we would walk on and there was a great beautiful
view of the whole entire valley! After much time walking and playing on the
boulders we headed our way back down the long hot dusty steep trail. When we
were passing the river again me and my cousin started to dunk our whole body in
the river and we were not hot at all on the rest of the way down. When we got
back to the campsite we rested and playing lots of card games and did peoples
hair. We also played more volley ball and corn whole. Then everyone got rocks
and made people out of them. Then we also made bows out of bent sticks and
string. Then while we were playing it started to rain so hard for a little
while. When it stopped we decided to go to the top of the Crater. When we were
driving there it started to rain so hard and then pretty soon it started to
hail! It got so bad that we didn’t go to the top of the Crater and we had to
pull over on the side of the rode under a tree because we could not see a
thing! Then it stopped and we had hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner. After
dinner we couldn’t light a fire for Smore’s. So we just made hot chocolate and
ate doughnuts while we watched an outdoor movie. We draped a big white sheet
over the volley ball net and projected Ice Age on it! Then it was time for bed
and I was so tired I could not even open my eyes!
The
next day we just ate all of the left over breakfast food. Then before we packed
up our stuff us girls decided to prank the boys be putting silly string all
over their tent! Then they got so mad and took out shoes! We found them behind
the tent and it was really funny! Then every one worked together again to pack
everything up! It was not very pleasant packing up in the heat but we all
survived. Then everyone said goodbye and we went on our way back home with
only them memories left! We will always remember the Taylor Family Reunion! It
was a great three days that I will never forget!
