[speaker001:] Hello.
[speaker002:] I pressed the button one, so we're recording right now. I'm sorry [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] That's okay. I'm Bill from Raleigh.
[speaker002:] Okay, and I'm Melanie from Harrisville, Utah.
[speaker001:] Oh, another one from a different state besides Texas.
[speaker002:] Yeah. [LAUGHTER] Um, okay, Bill, we're talking about family reunions.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] Okay, um, have you ever had to plan a family reunion?
[speaker001:] Uh, yes and no, it wasn't really a fa-, a planning one, but it was kind of, uh, it was a birthday
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] and I brought a lot of family together then.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. And how did you feel it went?
[speaker001:] It went pretty good. I'm, I've worked in hotels, so I, I kind of know how to do these things.
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] I used to, you know.
[speaker002:] All this planning and, and getting together and such. Um, oh, let's see what else.
[speaker001:] Usually when we have kind of our family reunion it's my grandmother's birthday, and
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and it's all of like, she, she comes from a big family. She has like seven sisters I think.
[speaker002:] Oh, boy [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] They show up and all their kids. And then all, she has, uh, I have like, uh, let's see, she has four sons and two daughters, and
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] they show up and all their kids, so it's a pretty big reunion, it's about two hundred people, maybe.
[speaker002:] Oh, my word. [LAUGHTER] Well, what did you find was most helpful in planning the birthday get together?
[speaker001:] Um, the, probably the biggest challenge was getting a place where everyone, you know, could eat comfortably and, and everything, uh.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] I guess probably the most helpful thing was that, um, for the rent, we rented like a, a rescue squad building or something
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] like that.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And, uh, each one of the, everybody that showed up donated some money for the rent and for, for like soft drinks and
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] and so nobody like really got stuck with the bill.
[speaker002:] Oh, that's good.
[speaker001:] And each person in the family, you know, brought a dish, or something.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh, and then did you have a main meal, or did everyone just bring, it was just pot luck.
[speaker001:] It was kind of pot luck.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] You know, everybody brought their specialties, I guess you would say.
[speaker002:] Yeah, yeah, show off a little bit [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah. And of course my grandmother's food was, as always, gone first
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] because she's such a great cook.
[speaker002:] Oh. Now how old is she?
[speaker001:] Uh, she's eighty-six.
[speaker002:] Oh, goodness. Is she pretty spry, is she, you know, pretty.
[speaker001:] Now she does, she looks probably like she's in her early sixties
[speaker002:] Oh, wow.
[speaker001:] and if she didn't have arthritis, she'd get around better
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] than me as a matter of fact [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh. [LAUGHTER] Oh, that's neat, that she's in good health, and that, at that age. Yeah.
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah. My nickname for her is Honey Woman. That's what I call her.
[speaker002:] Really. [LAUGHTER] Well that sounds fun. Well, I [smack] I had a real challenge of planning a family reunion a few years ago, and there were, we sent out five hundred, uh, announcements, because our family is quite large, like your, your family there. And so that was a real challenge, and I was president of our family reunion for two years, and I wasn't very at that duty, for two years in a row, [LAUGHTER] but I found that advance planning was the key to success.
[speaker001:] Uh, also one thing that's helpful, and I don't know if your family's spread out or whatever
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] but most of, all my family lives like in the same county so [LAUGHTER],
[speaker002:] Oh, that's wonderful, though [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] But it's just kind of like get on the telephone and,
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] it's so and such days from such and such date
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] and everybody just shows up.
[speaker002:] Oh, well, that is, that is helpful. Yeah, our family ranges from, oh, goodness, well, Australia, I have a brother lives in Australia, to, uh, Boise, Idaho, and, and, uh, all kinds of places.
[speaker001:] I would say you're spread out, then.
[speaker002:] We are [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Uh, my immediate family, you know, my, my parents and my brothers and sisters, I guess we're the ones that have the gypsy blood or whatever, because my dad was in the Army and we're
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] we're pretty strung out all over. But since they've moved back to Carolinas, we still are the only ones do not live in
[speaker002:] In.
[speaker001:] in Yantsen County.
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] I live in Raleigh, and then my, my parents live in Greenville, and I have one brother and his wife
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] live in Greenville, and, uh, another brother that lives in, outside of Fayetteville. So I mean, we're, we're spread out, but
[speaker002:] Boy.
[speaker001:] everybody else is centralized in, in, my home town, Waynesboro so.
[speaker002:] Oh, my gosh.
[speaker001:] Nobody moves away except us [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] They must really like it there.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I got out as soon as I graduated.
[speaker002:] Yeah. [LAUGHTER] Oh.
[speaker001:] Just like this town is too small for me, Good-bye.
[speaker002:] Oh, [LAUGHTER] you're ready to move on to bi-,