This weekend my great uncle Laurie, and his twin, Rose, celebrated their 80th birthdays. So, my dad's 5 siblings and he all flew and drove in for the celebration. It was an interesting afternoon full of visiting the great aunts and uncles, listening to stories, and reminiscing with family. I have to give them credit; they look pretty good for 80!Uncle Laurie was especially important to the family as he became a second father to my dad's family after my grandpa died. He has a candid sense of humor and a strong work ethic to pass on to his children, nieces, and nephews. It's pretty awesome to think of our faith being passed down from generation to generation. God's faithfulness is quite evident through the lives of my relatives and the history he weaves together in every part of this family's existence; whether in tragedy, or victory, or just plain life.
There was an extended family gathering in celebration of the birthday twins in the evening. This first picture is a group of the extended Rip relatives with my great aunts and uncles. I am not familiar with this extended family, but had a fun time reacquainting myself with the community of second and third cousins (once, and twice removed) and great aunts and uncles.
This was the first time in a few years that all of my dad's siblings were together. In age order: Marilyn, Jan, Jim, Faye, Dad (Ken), and Bob. It's always fascinating to watch them interact and then listen to their stories of growing up. To some extent, they revert back a few years and take on some of their childhood mannerism and personalities.
