Family Ties

I quit! I really cannot do the drama this year! I HELPED to organize a joint family reunion for both of my grandparents families last year. The turn out was wonderful and I am so glad that I was able to experience it. I met family I never knew BUT all the drama that came with it was ridiculous!! I cant even get into the details of who did this and who said that, only because no matter what I am still respectful, especially to my family. But like I said, it was a JOINT reunion, meaning more than one core family, but they are all MY family. when my grandparents married, they had 2 children, who each had 3 children, that's where I come in. This reunion was for us. the Braxton-Braddock grandchildren. All of us don't know all of our family. Actually, I am the only one who knows who is who and how were realted. And that's only because I'm nosey and the oldest grandchild to spend time with my grandparents. (I have one cousin older than me, but he and his sisters didn't spend as much time with Poppop and Grandma as my sister and I did. My brother never met my grandmother and was only 4 when Poppop died). So, anyway, this reunion was for us to know our family, both sides. We are from the lines of Braxton, Morton, Braddock, Coleman, Jeffress, Palmer and Hill! This doesn't even count my father's side, or my aunt's side. There are 6 of us Grandkids, and 8 great-grands. Out of all of us, only one is still named Braxton. Yet, one of the issues with quite a few family was that their name wasn't on the t-shirts. Remember, only one of us is still a Braxton and it was our reunion....there weren't any Greens, Strohmans, Elliots, Wilsons, Marrs or Sandidges on the shirt either.

Now one side, the Braxtons, Mortons, COlemans and Jeffress' are SUPPOSED to be having a reunion next year in Ocean City, MD but nobody wants to help. I have sent out emails, facebook messages, tweets, myspace bulletins.....nothing. Only 2 people volunteered to help and thats not even close to enough. But when the time comes for the reunion, everyones gonna be looking at me, like, "Chan when is it? How much? Why? Who?" and all im gonna say is...."I asked for help." And the worst part is, apparently im not even a Braxton! (According to some family) Lmaooooo this drama is way too much for me. I'm gonna take my one cousins advice and just us Braxton-Braddock grandkids have our own small reunion. And let everyone fend for themselves!
I mean seriously, I am busy too. I have other things going on my life. I dont get paid for any of the organizing that I have to do, and neither did anybody else whoever put on our reunions. But it's not their time anymore. This is the time for my generation to step up and help out. But i think its my generation who doesnt care, because most of us didnt grow up together. Our parents moved out of Poughkeepsie and Millbrook and we were raised in Jersey, Long Island, Down South, Out West. We dont know each other. So why do all this traveling to meet people that you didnt even know existed. I get it. But if they just think about how good a time we all had the reunion, how we all hung out after, found each other on facebook and kept in touch....why not?

I dunno. All I know is, I love my family to death, anybody can tell you that. And no matter how much bitching and moaning I do, I know Im not gonna let the reunion fall by the wayside. I may complain the entire time, but come next summer Ill be the first one on the bus partying and making sure everybodys happy....sigh.....I love my dysfunctional family!