Smith Family Reunion

Just two days after coming home from Disney world we headed off to Lake Tahoe for our family reunion. My mom is one of ten children. She has seven brothers and two sisters. Eight of the ten are married with children. I currently have over 50 first cousins just on this side of the family. Many of my cousins have children including one set of triplets. Our reunion was so much fun, but as you can see all of us didn't make it. It was a blast to see my aunties and uncles and hang out with my cousins. I loved introducing them to my new family (Shane and the boys). This was a first time introduction for many of them. We spent two nights at Lake Tahoe. I enjoyed it but it was not nearly long enough.

I love this picture because of how harmless it looks. I know. Well don't let that beautiful lake fool you. On our way to the campsite only a couple miles out of town we saw a bear cross the freeway. No joke. I didn't get a picture because I was too busy being scared and rolling up my window. Shane made fun of me, but that bear was huge. I wouldn't have wanted us to stop and the bear come and maul me through the window. Shane still thinks I am ridiculous. The second bear I saw was the first night at the campground. I woke up to screaming across the way. I didn't just hear a scream, but I heard a lot of screaming. I jumped up and unzipped our tent window and in the moonlight I saw our neighbors across the way jumping in their SUV. The engine started and the headlights turned on just in time to see a black blur scurry up the side of the hill. I could not believe it and wanted to leave first thing in the morning. I was having a panic attack so I woke up Shane. After he calmed me down I was able to rest, but that was the longest night ever. I had to pee so bad and refused to leave the tent. Shane was teasing me that there wasn't going to be a bear in the bathroom. I still waited until sunrise to leave and I made Shane go with me. That morning we found out that the ignorant girls across the way left a bunch of garbage around their campsite instead of in the provided bear locker. We enjoyed breakfast and my mom said she awoke later that night to digging near her tent. She stayed calm and quiet, but had a rough night sleep because of it. We went to investigate and sure enough there were distinct bear prints around her tent and the spot where an obvious fresh digging had just happened. Around lunch my mom witnessed bear sighting number 3. She was walking with Baby Mary out of the bathroom and saw a smaller bear cross her path just 20 yards from her. She was not bothered by the little guy, but we made sure no children went anywhere alone. At dinner we were talking to my cousin Bryan who arrived in the middle of the night. He said he checked in with the front booth, parked in his families sight and was going to use the restrooms before sleeping in his car. He was about thirty feet from the bathroom and (no joke bear sighting number 4) a rather large bear came out of the bathroom. OUT OF THE BATHROOM!!!! I was just mortified for a second night. I am cool with camping, but not really camping with bears. Everyone made it with no intense bear encounters so I'll consider the trip good. We left Saturday around noon to head home.

We made a quick stop at Crater Lake in California. Not to be confused with the one in Oregon.

The final tourist stop was at Burney Falls where we enjoyed walking down the short path to cool off in the waterfall spray.