Notes on a Family Reunion

As the nerdy Scientist that I am, I couldn't pass up a week without making some observations and drawing some conclusions - even if it was vacation. We spent the last week in St. George, Utah for a family reunion. Here are some of the things that I've learned:

1. St. George was named after a pioneer (George Albert Smith; also an apostle of the LDS church) who, fearing starvation, fed his family the "meat" of the potatoes while he only ate the skins. Despite his best intentions of giving his family the majority of the food, potato skins have a large amount of vitamins in them, and therefore, his family subsequently died of scurvy. Sad story, but he was later known as the "potato saint" since he made it a point to inform other pioneer families of the importance of potato skins.

2. St. George may also be a portal to the interior of the sun. This will need to be investigated.

3. The LDS prophet, Brigham Young, sent settlers to colonize the area now known as St. George since it was found to be capable of growing cotton. This was important during the Civil War when cotton, and cotton products, could not be supplied to Mormon settlers in Utah. This is why St. George is referred to as the Dixie of Utah.

4. Skunks are cuter than lobsters.

5. When it comes to green enchiladas, Grandma and I simply can't be trusted.

6. A swimming pool is a beautiful thing.

7. Babies cry a lot! Would I cry so much if I were completely helpless and had faces peering and people poking at me all of the time?

8. It may be impossible to identify "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith when it is being hummed.

9. In-N-Out burgers are the upper limit of burgerdom to which all burgers aspire - sorry Wayne and Kayla.

10. It is never a good idea to become stranded for 3 hours with a raft that has a hole in it while traversing St. George (the town previously described as having properties that most closely resemble those of the inside of the sun) by water during the hottest part of the day.

11. Blood is thicker than water, but it is not thicker than a Twix candy bar.

12. Dennis likes action movies and Kayla is a genius.

13. Don't ask Thomas to say truck.

14. Grandpa takes good pictures, but does not look great in shorts.

15. Grandma is photogenic and babies seem to love her.

16. Who knew that throwing sticks at blocks could be a lot of fun?

17. Tommy enjoys punching people. He is an especially avid see-the-circle-get-a-punch game player.

18. Karen is a better Martha Stewart than Martha Stewart.

19. Do ask Thomas about the prophets, the articles of faith, Shakespeare, and perhaps soon, string theory.

20. Austin and I may be giants.

21. My mom is the greatest example of sacrifice, devotion, and love that I know.

22. Colorado is better than Utah, but we won't rub it in.

23. There is never a good time to go running in St. George, but some times are better than others.

24. It is a bad idea to get lost while running in St. George.

25. St. George has disgusting wildlife.

26. Dennis has fallen back in love with his boat.

27. 1,939 pictures + 11 movies = 3.8 gigabytes of memories.

28. The Narrows hike in Zion National Park is my kind of stroll.

29. No one could possibly go hungry at Grandma's house.

30. Nathan is fun to hang out with - especially if you're a kid.

31. My family can put together a whopper of a Thanksgiving - even in July.

32. Wasabi can pass for pistachio ice cream.

33. 10 hour drives can be fun and are worth it in the end.

34. We have a great family: