reunion update

The plans for the 2009 HMA Fam Reunion are coming along nicely. Thanks for all your great ideas and thanks for nominating me as the person in charge. We still don’t have a firm date yet but know for sure it will be in the summer. Oh, and we don’t have a location yet but that is a minor detail. Here’s what we do know. It will be fun and inspirational and rewarding and whatever else you need it to be to intice you into coming.

The program itinerary so far:

Day 1
Arrive, unpack, eat and stuff, Roll call of Families (bust out your family cheers)

• Family Band, ala the return of The Bathtub Ring. Everyone choose your instrument now, everything is available, well, except for the accordian. Email me or leave a comment as to your chosen instrument. I will be sending out the music soon after I confer with our Conductor Lindsay. Instruments still available: Mandolin, Banjo, Guitar, Kazoo, Recorder, Violin, Drums (we need at least 3 of these), Cymbals, Triangle, Clackers, Chimes (we need at least 26 of these) and Harmonica (need 2). We need at least 18 people for the Heavenly Choir, too.

• Talk show with a return performance of the Latin Oprah, (you won’t want to miss this!)

• So You Think You Can Dance? (Arnett style)
(This is where we all get a chance to shake those A.S.S. booties. Hurry, fam and choose your genre. Our family has nabbed the Modern Dance category, and Chea’s family wanted Salsa, and I’m sorry but H.B. really, really wanted Square Dancing for his category. But, no worries there’s lots left: Riverdance, Turkish March, Ballet, Russian Folk Dancing, Cowboy Line Dancing, 70’s style, Hip Hop, Minuet, Lizzy and Darcy’s famous dance from P&P, and more!)

• Keynote Guest Speaker (speaking on a keynote subject)

Day 2

• A.S.S. Athletic games like: Golf, Eat off, Nap Off, Eat off
Who has the highest I.Q?, Smart A.S.S., A.S.S. Bingo (with cool prizes)

Workshops like:
• Group therapy session for the women folk led by our resident family therapist and addressing such topics as What does it mean to be an Arnett? And A.S.S. recovery, is there hope?

• Do you Remember? (this is where the old farts reminisce about Mozelle Renstrom, Billy Lilly, and Augie Westman)

Special Guest Speaker and Slideshow. Topic: Arnett’s in the World today - Personal Experiences from having lived Abroad.

Puppet show (little kiddies you won’t want to miss the re-enactment of the love story "The Cowboy and the Rose” followed by the beloved fairy tale “The Nuts Don’t Fall far from the Family Tree”)

And more stuff I haven’t come up with yet. I am open to suggestions.

Closing Devotional (covering a topic that is very devotional and very closing)

There you have it. Mark you calendars for sometime next year. No excuses, be there. The prizes are cool (and I don’t mean just Candy Bars)