Did you know I'm half Czech? My dad's family is Czechoslovakian (I had a crazy-hard-to-spell last name before we got married!), and we're proud of it! Czech families like to get together, eat, drink, dance, and have a great time, and we have GIANT family reunions periodically.
Last weekend we drove up to Ennis, TX for a family reunion with hundreds of people! The reunion was for all the descendants of my great-great grandpa and his siblings, so there were a bunch of people there I didn't even recognize! It was really nice to spend some time with my extended family, and to see Gran's sisters.
Here's the hall they rented out for the festivities:
We had yummy barbecue...
Mom & Dad
Jeff & I with my littlest sister, Karoline
We danced to the music of a live polka band...
Karoline & Dad
Gran & Grandpa
We even pulled out our instruments and played a few tunes when the band took a break! Grandpa taught himself to play the accordion when he retired, and recently he's been finding Czech music to give to my dad (guitar/harmonica), Jeff (French horn), and me (clarinet). We had some fun at the lakehouse weekend playing together, and Grandpa wanted to play at the reunion! We were a little embarrassed to play in front of everyone, but we had a great time!
Untitled from Spirals & Spatulas on Vimeo.
We had a really great time, and it was fun to see some of my older relatives having a really great time as well.
Karoline hasn't quite picked up on how to polka dance yet, so she just marched around the dance floor with Jeff. Haha!
I think it's so important to celebrate your heritage and learn about your family's history, so it was just a really fun evening for me. Plus, I never get tired of watching my Grandpa play that accordion!
Does anybody else have giant family reunions like this? Any other Czech people out there? Is your last name crazy-hard to spell? Haha!
That's AWESOME. My mom's side of the family is Czech so I grew up going to those big family reunions eating bbq and listening to polka music. LOVE IT. I went to the Kolache Festival in Caldwell one year and got a shirt that says "Czech" on front and "me out" on the back.
ReplyDeleteHow fun!! Those pictures look like my dad's family reunions - We're German, and we always have a polka band, lots of dancing, and great food. David got to experience it for the first time last fall, and it was so much fun!
ReplyDeleteAw that looks like so much fun! Your family looks so sweet!
ReplyDeleteI've actually been to Ennis before, I went to see a movie at the drive in theater there! :)
How fun! I've always wanted a "cool" family heritage haha
ReplyDeleteI have big family reunions. I am 1/4th Czech, 1/2 German and 1/4th Polish. My parents and grandparents have big families so we get together a lot.
ReplyDelete