Head Count!

Hi Everyone!

I have compiled every ones responses on the blog so I can keep all of the correspondence together in one place.

I am going to proceed with the house hunting in the next few weeks and I will let you know what I find. I appreciate every ones feedback and comments and I will take them all under advisement.

I have found several properties that will accomodate everyone very comfortably no matter what size group we have so once I feel comfortable with a room count, I will proceed. Take care and have a great weekend. Love you all!

Renee
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I also liked staying in one house. It was nice not to have to be constantly getting in the car or worrying about what to wear. Once we have a head count, we start looking for a location and make sure we get one that will accommodate everyone comfortably.

Looking forward to it.

Love,

Roger



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From: Robin


I'm so excited about the thought of us all getting together again! Mark will be deploying to Iraq on October 13, and as he prepares to go, I think of how precious family is and how fragile life is. Having that time in Florida was a true blessing for me, and I felt like we were getting to know each other all over again.....well, I guess we were! I'll always treasure the time we spent there and the fun and laughter we shared. With us all living in different states, getting together takes more coordination than I'm capable of. In the last two years, I've been able to see Rhonda and her family once, and Rhonda came to Kentucky for a visit. (I'm so glad it's something Renee is willing to take on; I don't think I could ever pull that off! Thanks in advance, Renee and Mike!)


I hope it'll work out that everyone is able to come, even if it can't be for the entire time. I have to admit was a little leary of how it would all work out. I thought seriously about staying in a hotel but am so glad now I didn't. I think in addition to missing opportunities to spend time together, it might have been more expensive with hotel, food, and gas costs, not to mention the time lost trying to go back and forth. Having said that, I understand that for some the hotel thing might be a better fit. I'd much rather have limited time with y'all than no time at all!

Kent and I'll be bringing a crowd this time. Unless Ben and/or Mark are out of the country on official duty, they'll be joining us in Gatlinburg! Of course, Kylie will be making her debut, along with Zoe and Renee and Mike's little one...and that's just the Smith side!

Watch out, Gatlinburg! Here we come!!!




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Renee,

Given what's going on in my life, I cannot commit to anything this early on. Plan as if I won't make it, and if it turns out that I can, I'll find accomodations.

Rick


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When Patty's family does this they simply pick a hotel and agree on the week they want to spend together. That way you can stay for a day or two or the week depending on your finances and/or availability. And for a few, privacy might be a concern too. Randy wasn't thrilled with sleeping on the roof last time :) I know he'd like to be able to escape and be comfortable in his own space and having his own room would allow him to do that. Just getting everybody in the same place is a big enough problem without making you plan an extravaganza. Don't think we don't appreciate your efforts - we do. Just feel like it could be done a lot simpler and not be such a strain on you because as you've mentioned, you'll have a little one keeping you busy as well.

Russ



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From: Rob



I don’t think we will be making it at this time.





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Hey Everybody,

This type of get-to-gether takes a lot of work. It is not possible to obtain the right accommodations without the number of your who will be attending. Please let Renee know one way or the other.

Dad/Smitty

Greetings!

Hello everyone! I hope this finds you alive and well. I am in the preliminary stages of planning our next family trip together. When we were together last we said we would like to do this every 2 years but that is obviously not going to happen this time around. I have been asking around and the thought of doing it next Spring in late April/early May or in the Fall were the two times that seemed to work out the best for those I spoke with. I think we are going to do a trip in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, TN. There are plenty of places that will accomodate a large group and there is plenty to do there. I asked Daddy and Lindsey and they liked the idea too so I hope everyone will be okay with that. I have found several places and I will send more info on them as I find out how many people are interested and I can get an idea of who would like to come. I am hoping that everyone will make an honest attempt to be there as it would be great to all get together again. The trip to St. Augustine sure meant a great deal to all of us and now that we have so many more additions to the pack I am looking forward to seeing you all again.

I hope you like this forum for communication. I think it will be the best way so that we don't have a mailbox full of emails. I will send an email out for you to check this blog if anything major comes up. If you want to save the link to your favorites, it might prompt you to check it periodically. The link is: http://mountainreunion08.blogspot.com/

I looked up approximate milage for everyone so you could see how far it was for you to travel to Tennessee.

Fairfax/'Vienna, VA - 475
Mansfield, MA - 918
Lady Lake ,FL 584
Palm Coast/ St. Augustine - 575
Ft. Meyers, FL - 765
Mobile, AL - 550
Ft. Knox, KY - 314
Madison, MS - 550
Germantown, MD - 495
Bowling Green, KY 283


At this point, please let me know your seasonal preference and any thoughts or suggestions. FYI, it will be less expensive to go in the spring than it will be in the fall. My thoughts were to either rent the house out for the week or from a Wednesday to Sunday like we did last time. (It's almost the same amount after 4 nights)

Take care and I look forward to hearing from you. Please forward this to all of the grown grandkids as I do not have their email addresses and I certainly want to include everyone. If you would please send me their email addresses, I will add them to the master list.

Love,

Renee