I spoke with the t-shirt guy today and came up with a nice design in five different colors - a unique color for each branch of the family. The cost will be under $7.50 per shirt. Sizes will range from Youth Small to Adult XX.

Please tell me what size shirts you would like and to make sure I don't make a mistake, indicate your family branch e.g. Roland, Geraldine, Darold, etc.

In order to have the shirts here for the reunion, I need to order the shirts by Wednesday.

If you are interested in playing golf, please let me know so I can reserve tee times.

Finally, we have room for more to attend. It is not too late to RSVP. Feel free to encourage your families to attend.

Have a safe trip to Iowa. We look forward to seeing you in about 2 weeks.

Terry

Small Family Plans Large Gathering

Only three and a half weeks remain until we gather in Iowa for the "It's a Small World" family reunion. We have about 50 people who have indicated they will attend and have room for many more in our second air conditioned lodge. In fact, if you have not indicated you are coming, please let me know as soon as possible so I can either reserve the second lodge for our family or release it to another group.

We will be staying in the Alpha Lodge. Check in is at 4:00 pm Friday with checkout 1:00 pm Sunday. We'll have a schedule of activities ready for you when you arrive, but plan on swimming, hiking, shopping, golfing, site seeing, and chatting in the shade of a pine tree.

Bed linens are provided, but be sure to bring your own towels and toiletries.

I will be receiving a quote from our t-shirt sales rep later this week and hope to have color-coded t-shirts to identify which of the five branches of our family you are from. After receiving the quote, I'll ask for your sizes.

Some were interested in playing golf while here. I'll reserve tee times next week. Please let me know if you wish to play.

There are more pictures of the camp and our activities at our web site www.campiodiseca.org and our Facebook page.

One final item, please be sure all your family members are aware of the reunion. We don't want them to miss out on any of the fun. Besides, if they are not here, Cousin Linda will talk about them!

See you soon....

Six Months and Counting!

The response to the gathering in Iowa has been excellent. All of the motel style rooms have been claimed; however, we still have room in the larger bedrooms. The Sleep Inn is only 20 minutes away if you choose to make your reservation there. If this is your first visit to our family blog, please read the July post and all the cousins' comments for more information.

Please let me know if you can come and where you would like to stay. If necessary, I will reserve another lodge, but all of the rooms in it are bunk style. Although its bathrooms are public, the showers offer privacy. Some of our family groups that return frequently prefer that lodge to the one with motel style rooms.

As we near the date we can discuss some of the organized activities, off-camp activities; e.g. shopping and golf, and color-coded family t-shirts. Please let me know if there is something you would like to see happen at the reunion....perhaps another family cookbook, work on the family tree, etc?

We look forward to seeing all of you here in June.

Have a blessed Christmas....

Terry

2010 Small Family Reunion in Iowa

Yes, Virginia, IOWA!

Iowa isn’t all cornfields and pigs; there are a few trees and lakes, too.

Our extended family will gather in Solon, IA at Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca June 11-13, 2010 for a few days of visiting, remembering, forgetting, sharing stories (embellished of course), figuring out who belongs to whom, plus all the activities the area has to offer: golf, shopping, sight-seeing, university night life, etc. Located midway between two of Iowa’s major cities (Cedar Rapids and Iowa City) and a few miles from Eastern Iowa Airport (ELF), Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca offers swimming, rock climbing, archery, fishing, canoeing, volleyball, basketball, challenge course, human foosball, disk golf, a 70 ft slip 'n slide, horseshoes, hiking, bird watching, campfires and plenty of place to just sit and visit. A public boat launch is less than a mile from the camp. Stay in the lodge or bring your tent or RV, but do come. This will be a memorable weekend! The camp is located on the north shore of Coralville Lake on 100 acres of rolling hills covered with hardwoods and pines and filled with birds, deer, turkey, raccoons, fox, and other critters - a beautiful setting for our gathering. You may check out the camp at www.campiodiseca.org.

Rooms at the camp vary from bunkrooms sleeping 12 to motel-style rooms sleeping 4-5 with a private bath. All are air conditioned. Some have double (full size) beds. The cost for two nights will be $40 per person ($20 per night with bed linens, quilts, and pillows provided). Children aged 5-12 are half price. Kids under 5 are free. Several nearby motels provide a little more luxury if you are so inclined.

The reunion will include five meals (Fri - Supper, Sat - Breakfast, Lunch, Supper, Sun - Brunch) for $36.50 for adults, $18.25 for children age 5-12 and free for kids under 5.

The lodge will be available for us at 4:00 pm on Friday. Checkout will be noon on Sunday.

At this time, I have reserved one of our two lodges for the reunion. The Alpha Lodge comfortably sleeps 50. If more than 50 respond soon indicating they will attend and wish to stay in the lodges, I can reserve the second lodge. In this case we will have the entire camp to ourselves.

Later posts will include more details such as a family tree, reunion t-shirts, family recipe book, additional activities, etc. If you have ideas and suggestions, please leave a comment.

Please leave a comment below to let me know if you intend to come. Please indicate the total number attending and whether you intend to stay at the lodge. Also, please let other members of your family know about this blog so they can RSVP, too.