At 10 AM, there was a mad dash to get in line for pictures. Had I realized they would be taking them for a few hours, I think I would have opted not to stand in line for 30 minutes. But, alas.
The photographer did have a great set up. They took the pictures and then immediately they were available for viewing on two laptops. Therefore, you could place your order then and there. Our picture didn't come out too badly; however, there were no photo packages available with wallet-sized photos. I certainly don't need an 8x10 of us and two 5x7s. For those of you who have received a photo from us in 2008, you will just have to make that one last another two years!
We did purchase the reunion booklet, which has everyone's picture in it. It also has candid shots taken throughout the reunion. So, we'll have that to share when I scan in our picture in a few months.
Because we had a late breakfast and took time for the pictures, we rushed back to the room to let Kalli take a walk. After that there was not enough time to get sandwiches ordered before we had to be back at the ballroom for our business meeting.
At 1 PM, the meeting started. It consisted of thank you awards for the hard-working volunteers, election of officers, and a selection of where the 2012 reunion will be held. In order to propose a location, it's a requirement that we have someone as a contact person that lives in the area that will make all of the arrangements. Of course, the officers and committee help, but they don't usually live near the selected city, so the contact person is essential. A guy who was attending his first reunion volunteered to host it in Philadelphia. So, that's where we are going in 2012. That area is filled with history and everyone is really excited.
The final event at the business meeting is to finish the raffle of donated items. The raffle is a major fund-raiser for the reunion group. This year we donated a Snuggie that I crocheted. I "hired" a model to don the Snuggie so folks could see that it wasn't just an afghan. Don't you just love the model!
Directly after the business meeting, we all adjourned to have group photos taken. What a madhouse to get all these sailors and their significant others to rally in one group. But, we did it. Here's the result. I am sure there were a few people that attended the reunion that didn't get into the picture, but just a few.
If you want to view the picture so you can see the Migneault's, double-click on the photo to open a larger view. I am in the front row, third from the right. I am wearing a brown shirt and slacks. Dave is directly behind me in a dark green shirt. Our friends, Pixie & Oscar, are on the opposite side of the photo. Pixie is the first person in the second row and is wearing a pink shirt. Oscar is next to her (he's tall) and wearing a white shirt.
After the photos were done, we had free time until the banquet at 6 PM (cocktails at 5 PM). We decided we would need a little protein before dinner, so ordered sandwiches to be delivered to the room.
Then, Dave took a nap. Here he is with his family!
We dressed for the banquet and arrived about 5:30 PM. This year, the reunion group paid for the meals of the veterans and their spouses with some of their funds. That was a great gift. And, we all appreciated it. Branson is a little expensive to visit as everything is about the shows. If you don't go to the shows (which cost about $30 per head), you won't experience Branson. So, the free meal was especially appreciated. Dave and I had the prime rib. I haven't seen such a big slice of prime in many years. It was huge and delicious. Along with the prime, we had a delicious salad, roasted potatoes, broccoli vegetable medley, and an ice-cream/cheesecake type dessert with raspberry sauce. Yum. I must say, I think this was one of the best prime rib dinners I have had in a long time.
Here's a picture of Pixie & Oscar all dolled up.
I should have thought to give our camera to them to take our picture. Pixie did take our picture, but I don't have it to share right now.
The DJ that was our entertainment was quite amusing. This guy must come with a trunk load of props. He had Indian headdresses, blow-up dolls, sailor hats, 70s Afro wigs, clown wigs, swords, and the list goes on.
We did not dance this year as Dave's back was still hurting a lot and my hips were fussin' at me as well. So, we just sat back and enjoyed those who could cut a rug. We left about 10 PM and headed back to walk the dog and get a good night's rest.
Tomorrow we all plan to go to the Shepherd of the Hills homestead and outdoor drama. We have been looking everywhere for a fan to ward off this heat, but no such luck. I just hope we can all make it through tomorrow's events. For now, I'll say bye-bye and have a GREAT day.
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