This title is awkwardly long because there just is no way to convey what it is like to host that large of a family crowd in your home for several days: chaotic, beautiful, exhausting, heart filled with love, overwhelming, and bursting at the seams with family warmth and laughter, are descriptions which provide a sense of the atmosphere. I think that I want to sit for at least a whole day, feet propped up, steaming mug of coffee in hand, and do nothing except replay the memory reels in my mind, stopping to savor each frame. I'm grateful for those who picked up my camera and their cell phone cameras, over the course of these three days, and documented the festivities. Special shoutout to Krystle for her photography skills.
Ralph and Sarah Schlabach's brood of ten children has grown to nearly 100, including all the grandchildren and now, great grandkids too. In honor of a milestone birthday of Larry and his womb mate, Linda, which landed this year on the day before Thanksgiving, I invited the whole clan to come celebrate for a few days over the holiday. They stayed in local hotels, but ate meals together at our house. Everyone helped bring food and there were many available hands for prep and clean up. It is a beautiful gift to be a part of a family of this size, where love and laughter and teasing abound. I hope that you enjoy this pictorial story of the days we spent together. I'm really too tired to write anything else.
We SO missed all of you Schlabachs who were not able to make it to Chattanooga. Perhaps we will need an encore. I love this family!