round 2 for the reunions......Day 1

This past weekend was yet another reunion for our family - this time on my side - the Robisons (my mom's family). Our primary purpose of gathering was to pay tribute to my grandparents who both died in the past 18 months. I love seeing all these aunts and uncles and cousins that I love so much and who have been a support and encouragement to me personally throughout my life. I even reconnected with my cousin Ben, whom I haven't seen in over 30 years if my memory serves me correctly - and met two of my mom's cousins. Fun times of visiting and remembering ensued.......

Lots of playing in the pool ..... Leah and Allie

Leah, Paige and Jonathan

Leah and Jonathan

Cuties....I think Madison was still swimming.....

Of course my mom had some fun activities for the kids to keep them busy....

Archer at the park

Love the climbing wall!

Steve, Archer, and Ben

More fun from Aunt Jan (grandma).....

After a full day of playing with the relatives, we left and picked Daddy up at the airport to join us for the rest of the weekend......

favorites at grandma and grandpa's

There are so many things to be loved about Grandma and Grandpa's - no matter if you see them weekly or every once and a while, right? When we come to Albuquerque I treasure the time with family, eating great food you can only get here, the weather, and the relaxing pace of things. The kids have started to look forward to things too. Here are a few of our favorite things:

Hunting for and catching insects.......

The kids were obsessed with digging up worms.....above they had over 50 worms!





I love the garden early in the morning and in the evening.

The kids love to help grandma and grandpa out in the garden....

Or they like to explore on their own.....

I love coming out in the morning almost year around and seeing hot air balloons!

and I love hanging the laundry out to dry.....

We are thankful for our place of rest, visiting, and different scenery and activities in New Mexico.....

Rio Grande Botanical Garden and Aquarium

I think it is fascinating to visit botanical gardens and arboretums in different areas and seasons. There were new sights at the Rio Grande Botanical Garden for us since we normally go in the spring.

Studying the fish

God created orange dragonflies too?

Butterflies and lillypads...

Sharks and sting rays.....

Good times with nature, cousins, and siblings......

Sandia Peak Tramway

Saturday morning our first activity was to be tourists in Albuquerque - something we rarely do! The Sandia Peak Tramway is the world's longest passenger tramway. It was constructed between 1964-1966 at a cost of 2 million dollars. It is a Double Reversible Aerial Tramway. Five thousand helicopter trips were made during construction of Tower 2 and the cable installation!

The view from the bottom of the tram looking up.....

One of the views along the way up......

The gorgeous view from the top.....

A view of Albuquerque

The backside of the mountain - the ski slope!

View on the way down the mountain

Almost to the bottom......

The tram ride takes about 14 minutes and climbs 2.7 miles and over 7,700 feet! The kids loved it - I have to admit - I don't thoroughly enjoy dangling 1,000 feet from the ground....but I will sacrifice something for a good view and awesome pictures.....but only in a secure car with sides all the way around it!

proud to be an outlaw - Part 2

Aside from the fun of getting to know new relatives, I thought the different activities we took part in throughout the weekend were unique and fun! We missed Friday's activities - and that was disappointing because they played a family trivia game which revealed unusual facts about different family members - plain hilarious....On Saturday several organized groups went out about the town for planned tours.....we went on the Sandia Peak Tram (which I'll write about later).

After lunch and pictures, there was the traditional "auction". Every reunion people bring artwork, items they don't need anymore, and family heirloom items to be auctioned off. All who participate sit and listen to Uncle Loren (Merl's brother) go through each item to be sold like an authentic auction.....with the rolling chatter to boot! I was thrilled to purchase some of Grandpa Miller's old books - a hymnal, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Evangeline", an old reader - all with copyright dates in the very early 1900's. The proceeds from each auction are always split up and given to the families of William's grandchildren to help with the expense of attending the reunion.

My favorite treasure however was a "Farm Account Book" which belonged to Grandpa Miller - full of his accounting in his own handwriting from the year 1925. Love it!

The proceeds from each auction are always split up and given to the families of William's grandchildren to help with the expense of attending the reunion.

The kids enjoyed writing their own names into the family tree throughout the day. I was touched by how interested Ryan and Madison were in visiting with Daddy's aunts and uncles - taking interest in listening and interacting with them. And then running to hug them good-bye at the end of the weekend.

Saturday evening was the "Evening of Excellence" - which featured just about every type of talent one could think of.....piano, guitar, vocal, funny skits, personal sharing, recitations, tap dancing, you name it! Many participated - from Jonathan at age 3 all the way up to those in their 70's! It was impressive to think of all the talent and interests represented as well as careers of those in the family.....teachers, businessmen, medical professionals, landscapers, auto mechanics, truck drivers, the list goes on.

Apparently the siblings enjoy a traditional hymn sing on Sunday mornings - mostly memorized.....and then we enjoyed the preaching from one of Merl's cousins. After lunch it was more sightseeing - we opted for the Botanical Garden/Aquarium.

Sunday evening was capped off by a time of sharing from the various siblings and family members about their family memories. Grandpa Miller and the mothers were honored, sisters and brothers affirmed, funny "one liners" given. Love, regrets, forgiveness, and graditude expressed. I admire and appreciate how these thoughts were expressed in the present rather than after someone has died.

A lot of people dread reunions - they seem to fear sharing their life. I realize that for many families a reunion like this is not possible due to dysfunction.....complicated issues. But every family has failure, imperfection, mistakes....that is reality. It seems this family has experienced a lot of that - but the love of Jesus and each other seems to have healed much of it.

The weekend reminded me to seize opportunities...... the time is now to share love, affection, and appreciation..... enjoy the company of one another - invest in their lives - and share my own.

proud to be an outlaw - Part 1

My "Miller" sister-in-laws and I have a joke that we are "outlaws" in the family......"blame it on the outlaws" we always say....in fun of course. This weekend however, I caught myself not feeling like an "outlaw" at all - in fact I almost forgot I wasn't born into this family.....amazing. The saying goes...."You are marrying the individual, not the family." I would contend that is not completely true.....An individual carries with them a portion of the history and patterns of their family at least - even though they may be living a different way. And, if a spouse would like to remain close to their family - then you are marrying into it. In my case I am thankful to have become a Miller by marriage.

The Miller family reunion was this past weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My father-in-law Bill's family has gathered every 3 years for the last 50 years or so. Bill is one of 14 siblings. Yes - you read that right - 14! There are 29 years between the oldest and youngest siblings.


The amount of history and heritage in this family is rich - and seems never ending. Each year I've been officially a Miller (17 years) I have learned more - but there is a lot to discover! With 14 children comes a multitude of tales to tell....

Six years ago we attended a reunion for the first time in Iowa. Prior to going I tried to study the family directory so at least I could learn the siblings' names and understand who I was talking to. Even Merl had to bury himself in the book! My first reunion was an interesting experience, but little did I know it was only really an introduction. I barely became familiar with all Merl's aunts and uncles - and only got to visit in depth with a few. It was also a cross-cultural experience as I was privileged to understand more about the Mennonite community there in Iowa where many of the relatives live.

This year Merl's parents were hosting the reunion in New Mexico and were thrilled that all 14 siblings attended along with a number of their families. There were 75 total people who participated. I loved walking around and observing the different siblings reconnecting after several years of separation.

It was funny because most of the aunts and uncles knew who I was, but as I would be speaking with them my mind would be racing through the names in my brain in order to figure out who they were and then where they lived! Forget the next two generations.....I had no idea who everyone belonged to! Thankfully this family has this figured out, so we all had nametags identifying ourselves to make the process easier.

A family tree was taped to the wall so throughout the weekend it could be completed.

It is difficult really, to express all the dynamics and emotions of the weekend. The family is rich in Christian heritage, history, heartache, and stories. The patriarch, William Miller was born in 1899 - and because of the untimely deaths of 2 of his wives there were 3 "waves" of children born . Bill's (my father in law) mother was the first, and died at a young age of cancer.

William's second wife died in childbirth, leaving him with 7 young children to raise on his own as well as maintain the farm. As a result, the 7th child, Daniel was placed for adoption with a neighbor in the community so he could be cared for. Amazingly - this son attends the reunions - loved just as he had been under the same roof with his siblings all along. His heart is filled with gratitude - coupled with pain and then understanding of the difficult situation surrounding his birth. Sitting and visiting with him, brings me to tears almost every time.

Lydia then married William and accepted his children as her own. She then gave birth to seven more - the final "wave". One of the siblings marveled at the fact that the words "step-brother" or "half-sister" were never used. They are all just brothers and sisters. Each child's experience in the family was different because of when they were born and it was an honor to sit and listen to them share their stories from growing up. Sometimes the other siblings did not know about the events because they weren't at home at the time.

The love and connection between the families was moving. Their commitment to each other inspiring. The love expressed toward our family was sweet. Strong family connections I am convinced takes forgiveness, perseverance, self sacrifice, and generosity..... just to name a few. Something worth pursuing .......

hello, summer!

My thought is that once it hits 100 degrees - it is officially summer here.....that day has come and gone so bring it on! We had such a GORGEOUS May - cool days and nights and it is still beautiful at night even now. We are still not sweating in every crevice of our body yet, so hey - life is good! Most people with pools around here swim in late April or early May - I prefer to wait until it is over 100 and the water is warmer....I am wimpy. By that time our neighbors and friends are ready for visiting swimmers anyway and we are free to play.

School is done for us - 2 months off so we can swim, play, and mom can tackle the home projects. We are looking forward to a trip to Albuquerque and San Diego this summer and maybe a camping trip.

Jonathan and Allison just finished their first 2 weeks of swimming lessons....

Madison is starting up with swim team again......she always comes out of the pool with a smile and hearty appetite!

Ryan joined "Splashball" - a program with USA water polo that introduces the game of water polo to younger kids. He loves it!

We are looking forward to a summer of family time and a relaxed schedule.........love it!