Vail Reunion

Late July found us celebrating family in Vail, CO. Sixty-plus Kemps rendezvoused in Colorado for a family reunion and celebration of Uncle Jack and Aunt Joanne's fiftieth wedding anniversary. What a time!

Although I completely underestimated the task of chasing after two little ones on vacation, we had a ball. It was exhausting, but we wouldn't have missed it for the world.

It was a whirlwind weekend that passed far too quickly.

We started off celebrating Uncle Paul's eightieth birthday Thursday night.

Friday saw the boys playing golf, the girls enjoying the spa, and the kids swimming in the pool. Our day ended at wonderful Four Eagle Ranch for some trail riding, horse-shoes, line dancing, hay rides, and delicious Western meal. It was the highlight of our 2000 Vail reunion and didn't disappoint this year!
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Saturday found us exploring Vail Village and playing in the local fountains. The little girls (Maddie & Amelia) were thrilled! The NY Philharmonic was the evening's special entertainment and was thoroughly enjoyed outdoors at the Ford Amphitheater. The littlest kids (Maddie, Amelia, Thomas, Noah, Coco, Jonah, Marco, Benji, Tommy) did remarkably well, lasting until the intermission. Then the lure of the playground was too much to resist.

We ended the day celebrating Uncle Jack and Aunt Joanne's fiftieth wedding anniversary. What a joy! The speeches, tributes, and roasts were highlights of the evening... many times there wasn't a dry eye in the ballroom.

The weekend concluded with a delicious brunch at Jack and Joanne's. It was hard to say good-bye. There were far too many family members I hadn't yet spoken with... again, chasing two wee-ones makes it hard to chat.
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Amelia is still talking about her new "best friends" - Joe, Coco, Caitlin, Jonah, Marco, Benji, Tommy... She wants to know when we're going back to "the Rockies" to see her family. Admist all the wonderful extended-family fun, some of the sweetest moments were spent in the hall between our hotel rooms. Maddie and Amelia had such a ball playing together in their rooms across the hall from each other. (Thanks Mom and Dad for such a luxurious treat!)
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Many thanks to Jack and Joanne for hosting such a fabulous weekend. Here's hoping our next reunion is sooner rather than later!