Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Family Reunions

We survived (and thrived) during the recent Carter/Peabody family reunion. We held the gathering at Plymouth Rock which turned out to be a perfect location since we later discovered it is where the first Peabody (Frances) landed in 1635 aboard the Planter.

As a surprise, we hired someone to do genealogy research on Carters, Peabodys, and Taylors. Interestingly, all Stephen's first cousins (he's the youngest of 13 at age 65) claimed they had no family information. Once we called a couple of them with questions about family members, we discovered a few hidden gems that helped to fill in holes that the researcher had. At the reunion, we played 'cousin jeopardy' quizzing them on childhood memories (e.g., Grandma Carter's favorite cookie recipe), as well as genealogical information. When they were struggling to answer the family history questions, we pulled out the 143 page family tree document as gifts.

Amazingly, 70 relatives assembled for this event. The eldest, Charlotte, was 78 (almost 79), and the youngest was Emma, almost one. Fun was had by all. The whale watch produced great whale sitings. This New England family loved the lobster, clams, and barbecue chicken feast, as well as the other catered meals. Having time to share memories while creating new memories was priceless. Our deceased parents all smiled down upon us for making the effort to come together. Future generations of the Carter / Peabody clan will share in the family history that is now documented. Family makes life rich! Are you taking time to enjoy your extended family?

Joan & Stephen

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