Elaine & Dean

Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful birthday cards and phone calls. Amy, Justin and little boys came over to help Emily prepare a birthday dinner for us. It was just awesome.
It seems like it has been raining and windy every day this month. We have the crews come in them and then we send them home, and then the sun comes out. Hopefully April will be filled with warm and sunny days. We have been very busy getting ready for the New Year.

I have a little more information concerning the family reunion. Hopefully what we have planned will be fun for everyone.

FRIDAY, JUNE 24th: We will meet for dinner at the Lake Hazel subdivision club house at 6:00. On Friday I will just be getting back from three days of girl camp so we will have a catered dinner that night.

There is a big screen TV at the club house so we have asked Lila give us a family history presentation. The seven Bowns have been invited to join us on Friday, but so far I have not heard from any of them. In talking to Teresa, it is just too soon for any of them to commit.
Friday June 24th and Saturday June 25th.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25th: I am not sure where everyone is staying on Friday night, and I don't want to make anyone travel back over to Meridian if they are staying over in the Nyssa area, but for those who would like, I will have breakfast at my house on Saturday morning at 9:00.
David had requested we not over schedule the reunion activities giving us plenty of time to just sit and visit.

I thought it would be fun to go the East Side Cafe in Ontario but it is no longer open, so Owen suggested an oriental restaurant in Fruitland or Payette.

I will check and see if they have a banquet room we could reserve for lunch, so we could have a family meeting and honestly discuss plans for the 2013 and 2015 family reunions.

We will have a little time before the fiddlers contest starts in Weiser, so we can either go back to Ontario and bowl since I can't find a bowling alley in Fruitland or Payette, or we can head over to Weiser where they have a lot of things to see and do in the parks, including a lot of jamming sessions.

I called to check on the fiddle contest tickets the other day and the championship tickets are $25 each. I rationalized the tickets would be much less expensive than driving up to Hells Canyon for a jet boat ride, so I am going to go ahead and get the reserved seating.

We can have lunch and our family meeting in Ontario instead and have dinner in Fruitland or Payette if that works out better for everyone. Once again, I am trying to balance not over scheduling everyone and yet not having enough planned, so I will keep working on the details and give more info in the April newsletter