Because Sue is a Jehovah's Witness she doesn't celebrate most things that we non-Witnesses have come to love and hate. Things like birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving--just about everything. My family is kind of dysfunctional in a good sort of way. I think that means we like our space. Even though we are almost all in this geographical area we seldom visit each other unless there is a reason (like the aforementioned Hallmark events and birthdays) for us to have a get-together. Because of that, Sue rarely sees anyone on my side of the family. She created the Annual Williams Family BBQ last year. This was the 2nd.
The weekend started with her family here on Friday night. Unlike my family's event yesterday, the Friday night event for her family took place outside in nice weather. We had food all laid out under the gazebo on our deck with a big tub o' brews under the table. I had my traffic light plugged in and standing outside the garage, and the kids were whooping it up and having a good time with it. They would stop on the red lights and wait for the green--at which time they ran around the back yard full speed until the light turned red again. I wish I had that kind of energy! Dane brought his new friend Chelsea along with him. I like her. She didn't just sit there blankly and absorb her surroundings like so many people do when they are thrust into a new and unfamiliar situation. She was very friendly and talkative and seems to have a good sense of humor. The gifting event went over well, with everyone happy with what they received. It's Sue's chance to enjoy the feeling of giving gifts without the use of a holiday. Most everyone else in her family is much more lax with the celebration of holidays I think. They decorate and celebrate here and there. The gift event was started by Sue many years ago, and although some gifts are actually exchanged, it's mainly just her giving gifts.
Saturday was the day of the 2nd Annual Williams Family BBQ. When I got up it was raining. That was followed by more rain, and after that was light rain, then heavy rain, a lot of rain, a little rain, and misty rain. Do you see a pattern here? I think there was about 10 minutes during the day when it didn't rain. Yeah, it was definitely more like slug weather than BBQ weather. Even though the event was forced indoors It still turned out to be a great gathering. We had a great turnout, and everybody brought really great stuff to eat. It was a feast! Earlier in the week I invited my seldom-seen friend, Greg, to come too. Having not heard anything from him since I emailed him the invite, I was pleasantly surprised to see him show up. He needs to get out more. He's a workaholic. The number of family members dwindled little by little as the evening wore on but Greg stuck around for the whole evening. We had a good gab session. I hope everyone had a good time... I know I did. Thanks to everyone that brought such awesome food goodies too!
So it's now down to Father's Day. Not much to report here. I bought my dad a couple of better-quality entrees and a couple pieces of cheesecake--basically a no-fuss meal all ready to go. Of course, it's never a fuss for him because my mom does all the work. I think she even cuts his meat for him. Anyway, I picked Sarah up and we both dropped in over there for a quick visit. Sarah then spent a few hours up here while I scanned some old pictures and newspaper clippings of folks from her mom's side of the family for her.
A pretty good weekend, but I'm glad it's over. Sue is doubly glad!
2 comments:
Hi Rick, sounds like a very memorable weekend, got some photos? It sounds like a typical thing for a Jehovah's witness to do. And there's nothing like a feast or two. And have you ever heard of it raining during a BBQ in Washington? About how many were at each event? Thanks for a good story (blog). Maggie in Anahola
Can you believe we didn't get a SINGLE picture all weekend? It's true!
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