A Family Celebration!

In a previous post, I have mentioned how my cousin, Jan, told us all several years ago that we all needed to get together for the happy times, not just the sad times. This weekend, we did just that. We went to Sacramento for a celebration in honor of my cousin, Ted, and his wife, Luisa. Their children, Kelly and Kevin, planned a party for their 25th wedding anniversary.

So Kerri, Cameron, and I made reservations a few months ago to be a part of this celebration. Cecilia, Jay, Yaya, and my Aunt Teresa all came from Arizona.

Ted's mom, my Aunt Dot, was my mom's sister. I have so many wonderful childhood memories of our times spent in Sacramento and Douglas with Dot's family. She had six children and of those six, there were two sets of twins. Jean and Jan are the twin girls and Ted and Ed the twin boys. The two oldest are Tom and Kathy.

My Aunt Dot died in 1981. Their dad, Edwin Park, who was also from Douglas, died in 1987. Our grandmothers died within a month of each other in 1957. Over the years, their grandfather, L.J. Park, was like a grandfather to me. He died in 1968.

I think it is an incredible tribute to our grandparents, Edward and Katherine Scott, that their grandchildren have stayed in contact and have valued the wonderful family that we have. It is also a tribute to the seven Scott brothers and sisters. Teresa is the only one left. I have mentioned in a previous blog how wonderful my cousins are to her and how much she loves them. She is still in Sacramento staying with Ted and his family until Thursday. Then she goes to San Francisco with our cousins there. Kerri and Cameron are already in San Francisco for the week.

Saturday night we all went to mass at the parish that Ted and Luisa belong to. At the end of the mass, the priest called them up and gave a very nice tribute to them.

We then went to a dinner with many of Luisa's family and our family in attendance. Luisa is from Portugal, the Azores to be exact. She comes from a family of six children like Ted. There are five girls and one boy. They moved to the United States when she was nine years old.

The dinner was so nice. We were able to visit with many family members. There was a great slide show comprised of pictures from Ted's and Luisa's family. It was a special tribute to them from their children.

We all stayed at the same hotel. Sunday we spent that day at Jan's and Tim's house. They had lunch and dinner for all of us. It was so great to have time to talk and to visit with our wonderful cousins. It was a great day!!

Driving around Sacramento reminded me of the summers at 3630 Las Pasas Way. I think we went there every summer while I was a child. I remember Cecilia and I going there for some time in the summer of 1963. I was the youngest cousin, but they included me and took such great care of me. We went back for Kathy's and Lynn's wedding and then Jean's and Mike's wedding. I was not able to attend Jan's and Tim's wedding as I was working at the smelter that summer. My mom, Teresa, and Judy went to it. Tom and his wife Elsa celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary several years ago in San Jose. We all went to that celebration. Tom's daughter, Dot, also has twins--a boy and a girl.

Kathy is married to Lynn and Jan is married to Tim. They are brothers. Two of my San Francisco cousins are also married to brothers. It has been so great to get to know Tim's and Lynn's mom over the past couple of years. I had met their parents many times, but never had really talked to them. Their dad died a few years ago. They brought "Nan" to Teresa's birthday last summer and she was at all of the festivities this weekend. What a great lady!!!

My Aunt Dot was so good to me. I loved her dearly. She was always so much fun to be around. Her favorite song was "Mack the Knife." Whenever she came to Douglas, she would always request this song where ever we went. Most of the bands in Douglas and Agua Prieta didn't know this song. It has become a family classic and is always played at celebrations in honor of Dot. I am putting in my song list for this blog in honor of her and her family.

Dot and Ed would have been so proud of this weekend!! I feel so fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful family. Our family has become so diverse over the years. Everyone is so accepting of this diversity. It has been important to me to make sure that my kids and Cameron know what a wonderful family we have. I hope that our children will continue to participate in the wonderful legacy left to them by Edward and Katherine Scott from Douglas, Arizona!!! What a wonderful family to be a part of!!!