Hinton Sibling Reunion, 2013

Last weekend was our annual Hinton Sibling Reunion.  This year, we stayed in the Dixie College Cabin in Pine Valley.  Though Mark and Kathy are not shown in this picture, all eight of the Hinton siblings and their spouses were in attendance.  Jim was in charge and planned some exceptionally fun activities.  

Since we're all grandparents, we all shared ideas for being better grandparents.  

We each brought a recording of a favorite song and shared it.  It was so fun to hear everyone's favorites and especially to hear the stories of WHY they were their favorites.  I feel like it gave a personal, sweet insight to each person.  

Kathy:  Lord, I Would Follow Thee

Mark Hinton:  The Sound of Music

Ada:  Lullaby sung by Tiffani

Don: How Great Thou Art

Mark Grant:  Theme from A River Runs Through It

Lorene: The Light Within

Sherrie: One More Day

Rick: Theme song from Hooziers (Best Shot)

Leslie:  Jerusalem (anthem of England where they served their mission)

Jim:  Those Were the Days

David: Hope of Israel

Gerri: Search for Me

Clark and Nan:  Learn How to Pretend ("their" song)

Ken: I've Been Working on the Railroad

Kay: I Will Sing with the Spirit

We divided up stacks of letters written and saved by Lavar and Leora (Ken's parents), and each read some and then reported their contents to one another.   Lavar and Leora fell in love as teenagers when Leora would go to Hurricane in the summers to stay with her sister.  When Leora would go back to Salt Lake, they would write back and forth.  This went on for several years.  Then they wrote to each other during his 2 1/2 year mission.  After their marriage, Lavar was in the military and war and they were often separated. They wrote to each other nearly every day, so there are many letters from this time period.  I read letters from when he was stationed in Bedford, Massachusettes and she lived in Springfield.  During this time period they were expecting their first child.  It was so fun to read and feel the love they had for each other.  This was a sweet highlight of the reunion- reading these letters and sharing with each other.  We are embarking on a project to digitize all of them.  There are four big plastic boxes full of them, so it will be a big project.  

We played fun games and the winners got prizes.  This is the front porch of the cabin where we did the football throw (Rick throwing/ Ken catching).  

We ate delicious meals and you had to fight to get to help clean up after.  Literally.  I'm just saying I saw Rick use his power hips to push his brother Clark out of the dishpan.  Those Hintons are basketball players and they know how to box out.  

We played Ancestor Jeopardy and watched an intense movie.  

We each brought an object- a treasure to share with each other.  I liked them all, but my absolute favorite was Rick's bobble head.  It looks just like him!  

Jim put together and showed a video of Lavar Hinton family reunion footage from the 1980/s.  Uncle Jim always had a video camera at the Hinton reunions and was a master at interviewing the little grandchildren on camera.  It was so fun to relive memories of the skits and meals and happy times of those reunions, and to see those little ones, who are all grown up now.  

On Sunday, we attended church at the historic Pine Valley chapel.  It was so fun to be in that historic building and see so many St. George people that we know that have retired and moved up there to live.  It got me thinking . . .

So, another successful and fun Hinton Sibling reunion is in the books.