a celebration of life!

My Dad's 80th birthday was celebrated in the form of a family reunion because he insisted it was not about him...

but we didn't listen...

for someone who has always made it about everyone else - it is time we made it about him - and that's what we did!

••••••••

Below is the book that my family and I put together for my dad. I got the idea from a book that Todd's Aunt gave Connie after Gary died. The book was full of letters from members of the family about Gary. It is such a special book. I wanted to do one for my dad so that he would be able to read it and KNOW how much we all loved him. I started putting it together in February and was in the process of finishing it when he had his heart attack. I remember thinking - "What if he doesn't get to read the book?" but because of the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father and, might I add, my Dad's impeccable health :o) we were able to give it to him at our family reunion.

I have since realized the importance of making sure we are open and express our feelings of gratitude and love for each other NOW and not waiting until the person is no longer with us to say all the wonderful things we thought and felt about them.

I am so grateful for my family - all 102+ of them. They mean the world to me. I am grateful for my AMAZING spouse who I have loved for a really long time - I always knew we would get married :o) I am so grateful for my friends, both past & present - whether we have stayed in touch after high school or we are Blog/Facebook friends - I am grateful for the part you had/have in my life. What great memories I have because of you. I truly have been blessed in my life.

P.S. I love you all SO much!

Check out the book below - it includes pictures from my family reunion as well as all of the letters that my siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews wrote to my dad.

(NOTE: To view the book bigger - click on the 'We Love you the Most' link at the bottom. Then click the orange preview button. In the bottom right hand corner, click on the 'view fullscreen' button.)

We LOVE you the MOST! | Make Your Own Book

PASKETT FAMILY REUNION | July 15th - 17th 2010

For my Dad's 80th birthday, we wanted to have a BIG celebration so my Mom and Dad reserved 3 out of the 5 cabins at Bear River Lodge in Christmas Meadows, Utah- in the Uintah's. The cabins worked out perfectly to accommodate the 102 (and growing) members of my family!

There is never a dull moment at a Paskett Family Reunion. Our days were filled with the following activities and traditions...

- Hiking: I think some of us might consider the "walk" to the fishing ponds a hike!

- Fishing: The cabins had two fishing ponds stocked full of fish. I think everyone who casted in their line was sure to catch something. We even tried catching them with our hands!

- Otter Pops: 400 otter pops were consumed. FOUR.HUNDRED.

- Swimming: I am pretty sure that we scared away anyone else, that happened to be staying at Bear River Lodge, that wanted to hang at the pool, we dominated the pool!

- Guessing Jars: This is a kid favorite (maybe 'big kid' favorite too)! This year we made sure to have a candy jar for everyone. Thanks to Elycia and the 'Jar Committee' for keeping track of all the jars, tallying all the counts and making it such a fun event.

- Movie Night: This is a fun night! There were 6 different movies being shown (2 in each cabin). Each grandchild was given a ticket with their name on it and list of what they could get at the 'concession stand'. They got to go through and pick a candy, a cookie and popcorn or nachos. The nachos were a yummy addition to movie night! Thanks to Keith & Barbara and Company!

- GREAT food: A BIG THANKS to Scott and Nadeane for heading up the food committee and pretty much doing all the shopping. It was a huge task and we are all so grateful for what they did!

The last night of the reunion was in honor of my Dad! We gathered at the amphitheater for the celebration. Scott did an excellent job in planning the program for the 'Living Funeral' or 'Celebration of Life' (if you prefer :o) for Dad. The grandkids sang songs, Ruth read a Life Sketch poem and each family member got up and shared a special thought and/or memory and their love for their dad and grandpa. Dad closed the evening by sharing his thoughts/feelings and testimony. A baggie of a few of Grandpa's Favorite things were handed out (mints, gum and money - he is usally sharing these things).

On the last day we took family pictures and a special stop was made in Henefer to visit the home where the little farm boy we call 'Dad' grew up.

It was such a special family reunion for all of us. What great memories we have made. How thankful we are for the time we have together, for the blessings in our lives and the love and tender mercies of our Father in Heaven.

A lot of planning and preparation was done to make this reunion/celebration a success. Thank you so much to everyone who helped out. A very BIG THANKS to Mom and Dad for putting this all together and providing such nice accommodations. And of course to Scott and Nadeane who took charge. They put so much time, thought, love and effort into planning. We are so grateful for all that they did!