Oh, I thought I had written more on my personal website about the trip this year...but there's nothing there but a title! I'll be back to fill this in some.
I do remember that this house was way up a mountain...and that the last bit of road actually had a very steep incline...and we didn't enjoy that. Now, the house we stayed in was not actually the house we originally rented..but the owners pulled a switch on us in the last few weeks. We wanted the other house because it had a nice large dining table - and we really need that with nearly 20 people trying to eat at once! And the worse part about this switch? We passed the original house on the way to the house we were in...it was just before that very steep incline! And, we could look in and see the nice large table...on the way to our small table.
Oh, well...we still enjoyed ourselves!
More later.
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Thursday, July 10, 2008
1996: Also in Gatlinburg, TN
Our second reunion was also in Gatlinburg, TN. The condo we had rented two years previously was not available so we had to find another place. We ended up in a small house very close to the main street of Gatlinburg. The good thing about this house is that it was within walking distance to town: no driving up and down several miles of winding twisting hairpin turns anytime we wanted to go anywhere. The bad thing about this house is that is was very small. It was actually two units combined by a double-locking door. It had only four bedrooms, one of which our dad had by himself. This left three bedrooms for the four sisters, one husband. The last sister and her husband had the second unit where the bed was not in a separate room. Plus, the kids ended up on couches, etc.
I especially remember the small kitchen. I believe we had the kids sit at the kitchen table while the adults sat in the family room to eat. If you needed to open the oven door, you couldn't walk past it - no room! We definitely we crowed in this place!
In spite of the small place, we still had a great time! As always, it's fun to see family you don't get to see very often. The food was great and we one again did the "each family cooks one day". That's almost the best part of the vacation. Trying to find something new to make. We have started a "Nederhoed Vacation Cookbook" that we now add the new recipes to each year.
I especially remember the small kitchen. I believe we had the kids sit at the kitchen table while the adults sat in the family room to eat. If you needed to open the oven door, you couldn't walk past it - no room! We definitely we crowed in this place!
In spite of the small place, we still had a great time! As always, it's fun to see family you don't get to see very often. The food was great and we one again did the "each family cooks one day". That's almost the best part of the vacation. Trying to find something new to make. We have started a "Nederhoed Vacation Cookbook" that we now add the new recipes to each year.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
1994: Our First Reunion in Gatlinburg, TN
The first year we got together, we stayed in Gatlinburg, Tn. We loved it! We had this wonderful condo we rented with four bedrooms (most of them with two double beds) and five baths. We had so much closet space the ladies were all jealous. We only wished we had that much closet space at home.
Because the condo was so large, we were all able to stay together. This was our goal when searching for a place to stay. In order to keep costs down, we wanted to be able to cook instead of eating out. After all, we didn't get to see each other very often so we wanted to break bread together.
Speaking of kitchen duties, we decided that each family would take one day and cook breakfast and dinner. That meant for our five day vacation, we only had to cook one day! Sounded like vacation to us!
We did manage to see a few of the sights in Gatlinburg. We took in a arts & crafts fair at the convention center. Some of us went to Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. We visited Ober Gatlinburg. The kids enjoyed this. I rode the ski lift with one of my daughters. We did the Ripley's Moving Theatre. We drove through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We rode the go-karts and played miniature golf. And we did some shopping. The days just flew. My Dad saw a black bear near the trash cans. When he told us about it, one of my brother-in-laws grabbed his video camera and followed it out to the woods! But, he made it home safely. When we watch that video, we enjoy how the camera was shaking and how out of breath he was tracking that black bear.
Before we knew it, it was time to head home. But, the good news was we knew we were doing this again in two years. And, we had decided to return to the Gatlinburg area since there was so much to do that we hadn't done yet.
Because the condo was so large, we were all able to stay together. This was our goal when searching for a place to stay. In order to keep costs down, we wanted to be able to cook instead of eating out. After all, we didn't get to see each other very often so we wanted to break bread together.
Speaking of kitchen duties, we decided that each family would take one day and cook breakfast and dinner. That meant for our five day vacation, we only had to cook one day! Sounded like vacation to us!
We did manage to see a few of the sights in Gatlinburg. We took in a arts & crafts fair at the convention center. Some of us went to Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. We visited Ober Gatlinburg. The kids enjoyed this. I rode the ski lift with one of my daughters. We did the Ripley's Moving Theatre. We drove through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We rode the go-karts and played miniature golf. And we did some shopping. The days just flew. My Dad saw a black bear near the trash cans. When he told us about it, one of my brother-in-laws grabbed his video camera and followed it out to the woods! But, he made it home safely. When we watch that video, we enjoy how the camera was shaking and how out of breath he was tracking that black bear.
Before we knew it, it was time to head home. But, the good news was we knew we were doing this again in two years. And, we had decided to return to the Gatlinburg area since there was so much to do that we hadn't done yet.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
How it all started....
Our parents immigrated to the United States many years ago. They left almost all of their families behind. This meant, that while growing up as children, we never had family reunions. There simply wasn't enough family in this country to have them. Actually, a family reunion was gathering around the dinner table. Almost. We did have an Uncle and Aunt in the Chicago area. And dad had a cousin not too far away. But, that was about it for family.
The years went by. All my sisters and my brother had grown up. We were starting families of our own. But, we were split between two states: Michigan, where we all grew up and Florida, where mom and dad had retired and moved to. Then in 1994 our mom passed away. All of a sudden, we weren't sure if would still see each other as often with mom gone. So, we decided it was time to start a family reunion.
We get together every other year for a family reunion. We decide on a place to stay. One of the things our destination must have are condos for rent large enough to accommodate about 20 people.
I will tell you the cities we have visited, the places where we stayed, the attractions we have seen, what we liked and disliked and whatever else I can think of that would be interesting.
If we can help you find a new location for your very own reunion, wonderful! If you have a suggestion for us, please leave a comment. Feel free to let me know where you have been and how your family enjoyed it.
The years went by. All my sisters and my brother had grown up. We were starting families of our own. But, we were split between two states: Michigan, where we all grew up and Florida, where mom and dad had retired and moved to. Then in 1994 our mom passed away. All of a sudden, we weren't sure if would still see each other as often with mom gone. So, we decided it was time to start a family reunion.
We get together every other year for a family reunion. We decide on a place to stay. One of the things our destination must have are condos for rent large enough to accommodate about 20 people.
I will tell you the cities we have visited, the places where we stayed, the attractions we have seen, what we liked and disliked and whatever else I can think of that would be interesting.
If we can help you find a new location for your very own reunion, wonderful! If you have a suggestion for us, please leave a comment. Feel free to let me know where you have been and how your family enjoyed it.
Here's a list of the places we've been so far with the larger family group:
1994: Gatlinberg, TN
1996: Gatlinberg, TN
1998: Pigeon Forge, TN
2000: Beech Mountain, NC
2002: Luray, VI
2004: Murphy, NC
2006: skipped this year...instead my sisters and my brother went to FL for Dad's 80th birthday
2008: Jasper, GA
Monday, July 7, 2008
Introducing sisters on vacation
Sisters ... You get it.
Five of us... You get it.
Voluntarily taking vacations together every year... Do you still get it?
And we look forward to it!
We've been doing this since 1994. On even numbered years, we include the husbands and our kids. On those odd numbered years, its just us girls.
Stay tuned. My next post will take us back to how this all got started in 1994.
later!
Five of us... You get it.
Voluntarily taking vacations together every year... Do you still get it?
And we look forward to it!
We've been doing this since 1994. On even numbered years, we include the husbands and our kids. On those odd numbered years, its just us girls.
Stay tuned. My next post will take us back to how this all got started in 1994.
later!
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