Dance Family

Dance Family Reunion

The Dance Family Reunion was in Vegas over Memorial Day weekend again this year. It works out best to be able to see Grandma and Grandpa Dance if we have it there and it's not too hot at the end of May:)

We arrived Friday night. We met Brian and his kids at Cafe Rio for dinner and then hung out with those who were there at the pool.

Jackson, Kenzie, Coleman, Jordan, Ashton, Carinn

The pool was pretty cold so they spent a lot time in the hot tub. Grayson is in there too.

On Saturday, we hung out at the pool again. Darrin and Shawnee drove out to Sandy Valley. Darrin stayed with his dad and Shawnee brought Joan back to spend time with us at the pool. We went out for lunch and dinner and that evening we went to a park for a walk.

This was in the middle of the walk. Everyone who came to the reunion (except Joan and Blaine) are in this picture.

On Sunday we went to Sandy Valley. Some of the family went out early enough to go to church with Joan and Blaine. We were picking up food for lunch so were getting there around lunchtime. We were on our way when Darrin called with the news about Tina and that Brian and his kids were heading to the airport. We met Tyler's family and Doug's other siblings and Joan on the side of the road so Doug, his siblings, and Joan could try to meet Brian at the airport. They weren't able to make it on time and ended up at the sod farm not long after we got there. (I'd never driven to Sandy Valley and although I had the address and google maps, we got a little lost on our way. But eventually we found it.) We ate lunch, and then talked as a family about Tina and how we could help Brian and the kids. It was nice to be together at such a terrible time. Afterwards we tried to enjoy our time together as best we could.

Some threw rocks at bottle set up on rocks.

Coleman and Linc

We painted rocks. Candis took some to Atlanta for Brian and the kids.

The kids played soccer in the grass.

Grandpa and Grandma Dance.

Cute Coleman boy.

Coleman grew a lot since we last saw Linc in October!

Some of the kids (Jordan in this picture) ran through the sprinkler.

Eva

Darrin took a lot of pictures out in the junk (his pictures are at the end of this post.)

He's taking a pictures of Jason, Shantel, and Landon.

Jordan smashing windows.

Kenzie

Family pictures:

Darrin's pictures:

Tyler

Mckay

Isaac

Gracie and Avery

Lila, Avery, Gracie, Eva, Isaac

Jason and Tyler

Lila, Grace, Avery

I didn't want to climb on the car so Doug and I stood behind the kids :) It seemed like it would be too tricky to get down, especially since I was wearing flip flops.

Landon, Jordan, Isaac, Eva

Tina

My wonderful sister in law, Tina, passed away on May 25. We are so devasted and heartbroken. Tina was such a fun person. She was always so kind and inclusive. I loved her ability to talk to anyone easily. She wasn't afraid to ask personal questions to really get to know people. She was a very open person and didn't seem to have many things she wasn't willing to share with others (sometimes to Brian's embarrassment :)) She loved her family so much and had such great, open relationships with them. I know she made them feel loved and was a great influence on them. At the family reunion Grayson was offered some licorice and he said no because, "I agree with my mom and she says they taste like plastic.":) She's one of the few that have kept a family blog up to date and I will really miss reading it. Even though her and Brian have lived the furthest away, I've always felt like I knew what was going on in their daily lives more than the rest of the Dance family because of her blog. We all love Tina and will miss her so much!

Brian and the kids were at the family reunion when a friend called telling Brian the terrible news. Brian and the kids flew home immediately. The rest of us met at Sandy Valley and mourned together. We had a family meeting to discuss how we could best support Brian and the kids. Candis decided to fly out that night so she could help Brian take care of everything that needed to be done. Doug flew home with us on Monday and then went to Atlanta early Tuesday morning. He and Candis both stayed until the following Wednesday. The family pitched in to rent an AirBnB for Brian, his kids, and some of the family that came since Brian and his kids weren't ready to go home. It was a really hard and sad week. Tina's mom and sister flew in on Tuesday or Wednesday. They all helped Brian and the kids plan the funeral and make any arrangements that needed to be done. The funeral was on June 1. All of Doug's siblings and their spouses went except me. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of flying at there alone and leaving the kids. Plus I really wanted to be with the kids during the funeral so we could watch it together. It was a beautiful service. All the speakers did a great job. The next morning, family and maybe a few close friends drove to Chattanooga Tennessee where they buried Tina's ashes.

Doug played some Minecraft with Grayson and watched Minecraft YouTube videos with him.

Doug also set up a memorial website for Tina where people can share photos and memories of her. Here's a few of the pictures I found of her.

Tucker

The Crabtrees got a new puppy! He's so cute and is named Tucker! We went to meet him the day they brought him home. He was sleeping when we got there, but after we played a few rounds of Nertz, he finally woke up :)

Regionals Basketball

There was regional church basketball again this year! The young men were out their 3rd or 4th game. Doug's team made it further but not all the way. They all had fun playing though!