The Brasington's Blurb: November 2010

Top Left (Great Aunts & Uncles):
Joann Maddox (Grandma) Ken Maddox, Sr. (Pawpaw)
Uncle Jim, Uncle Bill & his girlfriend,
Uncle Gray and Aunt Margaret Edwards, Aunt Jenkie,
Great Great Aunt Carrie

When you hear the words "family reunion," what comes to mind? For many people it's seeing cousins that you have no clue who they are or how they're related to you or seeing an Aunt that tells you "my, look how you've grown", or an awkward conversation with a relative (stranger) or maybe even an ugly t-shirt with a tree across the front touting your family name. Well, in the Maddox family, that is NOT how our family reunions typically go. In our family, we have a reunion the third weekend of every July. And when I say EVERY July, I mean EVERY July. This summer was no exception. Even the oil spill in the Gulf couldn't keep us away from each other

Leon enjoying the beach!

So, in July, like clock work, the Maddox family congregated in Panama City Beach, FL, to catch up on every one's lives over the past year (all though most everyone keeps up with each other anyways over the phone, email, Facebook, newsletters, etc.) and to reminisce about the years gone by. Thursday, July 15th, was the start of the mass migration of Maddox family members to the beach. And when I say mass migration, I mean over 100 members of our family, all in one location, for an entire weekend. And yes, I do know almost every one's name or I can at least tell you who they belong to. To help clarify things, my grandfather, Ken Maddox, is one of eight children. Six of these children are still alive today and this is who our family reunion is comprised of. My grandfather, his siblings, and all of their children, children's children, and so on. You get the picture.

Family gathered in our condo Thursday night for dinner.

Now, back to Thursday. The majority of the early arrivers spent the day soaking up the sun on the beach and keeping an eye out for tar balls or any sign of oil. Keep in mind, this was in the middle of the devastating oil spill. Thankfully, very little reached Panama City Beach and didn't interrupt our fun. After a long and scenic day on the beach my Mom and a few other family members cooked dinner for those who were there in our condo. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of bar-b-cue, ribs, homemade mashed potatoes (I made these) boiled peanuts, fresh peaches, and a whole lot more.

My sister, Catherine, helping our first cousin, Brody,

swim to his Dad, Greg.

Friday consisted of pretty much the same thing. Everyone enjoyed another glorious day basking in the sunshine on the beach or laying out by the pool. Those who do not enjoy the heat or sun as much spent their time inside at the Hospitality Room playing cards, domino's and talking about their favorite past-times. For dinner Friday night everyone went to their favorite local restaurant. Leon and I went with my family to Shuckums, a local oyster restaurant Leon wanted to try. When we arrived the restaurant was extremely busy, so we sat at a table outside, hoping to beat the rain. Well, we almost did, but right before the waitress was about to bring our food, it started sprinkling. Thankfully, we were able to get a set inside Shuckum's Party Shack before the bottom fell out of the clouds. Once inside, and dry, our food arrived and it was delicious and well worth the wait. The entertainment was pretty good too. There was a local DJ playing a lot of fun music and a few softball teams in town for a tournament decided to try a little karaoke as well. After dinner, my aunt, my self and several of my cousins decided to dance along to the electric slide. This was a lot of fun and gave us something to laugh about later.

Here is evidence I do dance, in case you were wondering.

Saturday a few of us decided to be adventurous and when on a jet ski tour. Leon and I shared a jet ski, along with my Mom, Randy, Catherine, Aunt Georgiann and her kids. We had a BLAST!!! This was the best part of the entire trip! We spent two hours cruising around the intracoastal waterways, darted out into the Gulf of Mexico where we saw a couple of dolphins up close and then went to Shell Island. If you've never been to Shell Island, I highly recommend it. Shell Island is a pristine, untouched island with crystal clear water, sea shells every where and beautiful views in every direction you turn. This is what the beach should look like! After spending about thirty minutes their, we jumped back on our jets skis and rode as fast as we could the rest of the way back. Mostly because it started storming and we wanted to beat the rain. This is something Leon and I both loved and hope to do again next summer when we return.

Aunt Georgiann and her youngest son, Josh,
dancing at Shuckums.

Everyone gathering together for dinner.

Aunt Jenkie leading the line at the pot luck.

After our adventurous day, we all returned to our condo and got ready for our potluck dinner. Now, usually we have a catered dinner, but this year we decided to try something different and went or a potluck dinner. My grandfather brought boston-butts and fried chicken and everyone else was responsible for bringing a covered dish for their family. Well, this was one of the BEST ideas ever, because we had more than enough food to feed our entire family twice. We ate and ate and ate some more until we couldn't hardly move. After dinner is one of my favorite times. This is a time were all of the brothers and sisters get a chance to stand up and talk about their memories or favorite things about our family. One of my favorite stories is the one my Great Aunt Margaret's husband, Grey Edwards, always tells about how he wanted to marry Margaret. It's always very sweet and touching and so very refreshing to hear someone talk about genuine love. Another one of my favorite times is when my Uncle Jim gets up to speak and he usually makes some reference to my PawPaw and then they start arguing (discussing) about who is telling the story correctly. It's just one of those things that you have to be there to see but it is always so funny to see the interaction of sibling, no matter what age they are. Also, any time my cousin Buddy talks is humorous. He is so full of spunk and life and always has great insight, wisdom and a funny story to share! Before we wrap up for the night, we all join hands together and sing the song "Blessed Be the Tie That Binds" (which we also sang at our wedding at the end of the ceremony) and, what else, but the Auburn Fight Song! Can I get a big Waaarrrrr Eaaagggllleee! Hey! If you're wondering why, the majority of our family members have all attended Auburn and that is where all of my great aunts and uncles attended college. My Great Uncle John, not present due to illness, also played football for Auburn.

Randy and me listening to everyone talk.

When Sunday arrives it's time to pack up everything, but not before a quick Sunday morning service and prayer. This is the root and foundation of our family. We are proud to say that we are Christian's and love the Lord. I love my family and I hope that everyone who reads this can feel the love we have for each other!

I'll leave you with a few more pictures from our exciting Maddox Family Reunion.