Ah yes, the Froeber Family reunion. A time for drinking, yard games, sometimes friendly competition, and of course FAMILY. This isn't like your normal family gathering, oh no. Us Froebers know how to have a good time and we always leave our mark every reunion. Thankfully this one was right where it all began, in Crookston, MN, hometown of the Froeber clan that holds many memories for the family and my aunts and uncles who grew up here.
Before I go into the festivities, let me tell you a bit more about my family. This is my mom's side, and she grew up with a total of nine siblings in small town Crookston. Her mom & dad, Virginia and Don Froeber, loved all their kids and all their grandkids. They were something special to everyone. Personally, I don't remember them much as I was very young when they passed...it's not until I am older now that I really wish I could know them more. I'm sure they would be proud to see how far I've came and all I have achieved. I love you guys.
As you probably guessed I have a lot of cousins then on my mom's side. Let me tell you, being one of the youngest against all of them makes for a lot of teasing. But I love it, because I can dish it right back. Also, now that we are all older it makes for fun competition and just goofing around. I am close with most of them and a lot live close in the cities which I love. I go to them for advice about college, traveling, or life in general. They are my extra backbone and friends in my life.
Now that you know some about my family, let's get into our more memorable family reunion. It was July 5th and boy were we eager to get there. I was driving with my parents and the ride went pretty fast for the first 3 hours or so of the ride. Keep in mind it is about a 4 hour drive up and once you hit Highway 9, let's just say that's where the ride starts to feel long and a case of iron foot comes out because the speed limit is about 50 mph. If you are driving with my dad, it won't shock you that he got pulled over by the police going about 25 over the speed limit (it's happened a couples times before but that's for another story). Sorry Papa Bear, love you!
After the dreadful ride on highway 9, we eventually made it to Crookston and pulled up into my cousins house to be greeted by the family, neighbors, welcoming puppies and of course a couple drinks. We caught up with each other for a while as we awaited for my sister and her boyfriend and then made our way to Snow Sled Inn for dinner. We ate double bacon cheese burgers that were about the size of my hand, one of the best burgers I've had. Our night didn't end there as we made it to the Abeld's house for happy hour and saw more of the family. The cousins were playing and hanging out with the young ones while the parents caught up and we planned for our events for the next day. We then would have the arrival of a few more family members, but most of them were arriving on Saturday.
It is now Friday though, July 6th and we got up bright and early...or maybe 10:30-11 to go canoeing and kayaking down Red Lake River. Some of us launched underneath a bridge in town to go down some rapids, otherwise the rest would launch after the rapids and watch us kids mostly go over the rapid. Launching went well, although John fell in right away and also didn't have much luck on the rapids either. Good thing it was a warm sunny day. We drank and floated down the river for a couple hours, stopping on an island to stretch enjoy a couple drinks and then move on to the unloading site. At the island we found some peculiar things like old bottle, bones, and other miscelaneous objects that struck our attention. We also had a mini photo session to create memories.
We finished off our day eating and drinking, passing around plenty of BODENS and playing yard games. Getting us ready for Saturday which will hold the tournament bags game and many for activities. Now I believe is a good time to talk about what the heck Boden is. Well, it is an infamous term our family came up with for 'get me another drink'. I believe it came from my uncles who went on a baseball trip one year and after a day of drinking 'you want another beer' or 'get me another beer' "slurred" into Boden. So yes, my family is that cool we make up our own slang for drinking. Now that you are informed on that, you are ready to hear about Saturday.
We started bright and early with mimosas and a bloody mary bar with homemade bloody mixes and small breakfast to get us ready for the fesivites. The rest of the clan arrived that day and once everyone had a couple drinks it was time for the first event, a scavenger hunt. This is where I can explain how it became a more meaningful and heartfelt trip for my aunts and uncles, and my mom. The scavenger hunt was meant for all of them to go back to when they grew up in this small town and relive their childhood memories and stories. I loved this because I learned more about the family and my aunts and uncles and how blessed I am to have such a close knit family that love every single one of us.
Some of the things they had to go 'scavenge' for included my grandparents bench in town and having to take a picture by it, favorite place to play or hang out, where they got their first injury, finding their childhood's best friend house, etc. Then after the scavenger hunt they would all go around and read off their answers and tell the stories of why they chose specific areas. It was a one of the special moments the family shared that day, and I loved every bit of it.
After the scavenger hunt, we had to get a few yard games in our system before the next surprise which was a Froeber style family feud. Another thing you should know about my family is that we are VERY competitive. We make brackets for just about any yard game you can think of, and although it is friendly competition we still go all out for the W. Beanbag toss, corn hole, or simply the bags game is the top tournament we play and teams are chosen at random and we spend ALL day playing till we have a winner. We even have a champion trophy for the winners. I sadly didn't take that home, but I made an excellent score keeper.
In between games, we played Family Feud which was another fun way I got to relive some of my family's memories growing up in Crookston and learning more about my grandparents. It was heartfelt for the siblings as well and it is why this reunion was so memorable. We finished our bags tournament with my father and aunt Becky winning it all. After that, the final surprise was upon us. We enjoyed the sunset and a family video of all the siblings growing up and them meeting their significant others, and it was a fun blast from the past moment I don't think anyone will forget.
We have made it to the end of the trip, we left mid morning as we had a long drive ahead of us and a puppy dying to see us again. We all said our goodbyes and my family had breakfast at RBJs, which use to be a country kitchen my mom used to work at. Sadly, it all came to an end but like always, we are already planning for the next years reunion and the events that will take place. To my family who may read this, I love you guys. I am blessed to be apart of this family and it is never a dull moment with you guys. BODEN!