The Eyrealm Reunion at Bear Lake – 2025 Version

Oh man, there was a LOT of love at the Eyrealm reunion at Bear Lake this summer. It’s so cool how love can multiply exponentially when there are babies involved, don’t you think? And Murphy ate it up, especially at the newly-added-to-the-reunion-agenda pre-dinner dance parties.

Why do those photos make me tear up??

There were, as always, hundreds of photos taken once again at our reunion this year. I’m really trying to narrow them down but here’s your warning if you’d like to bow out of this post filled to the brim with pictures!

Beauty Up at the Lake

There was beauty all around.

From the beauty of Mother Earth, and the glory of Bear Lake sunsets:

To cousin love, all these adoring cousins taking care of Murph and Ada while Abby joined the women up at the Lighthouse when we first arrived:

Baby Adoration

So much baby adoration…from the grandparents:

And all the aunts:

To all the adoring cousins:

Oh man, believe you me, I could fill a whole entire post with photos of adoring people doting on these grandbabies of mine, but I’ll try to spare you all that look-time:) Suffice it to say it was so very endearing.

Cousin Bonding

There is nothing like a good Bear Lake bonding of cousins. There were cousin milkshake runs:

Cousin groups just hanging:

Grammie Camps

And of course, the bonding that comes with Grammie Camps:

One of my favorite things this year was listening to all those little kids quizzing each other about famous art work and music composers so they could pass off all the ones Grammie was going over this year. My mom is a wonder.

Family Togetherness

Bonding of siblings over meals…

…and at the Lighthouse:

…stretched out doing yoga at the beach:

The Reunion Before the Reunion

Our own “little” family came in bursts. Abby, Claire, the little girls and I arrived almost a week before everyone else. Then Grace, then Dave arrived, much to Murphy’s delight:

She sure loves her “Coach.”

Then Max & Elle arrived after work the night after the reunion started.

I LOVE these outtakes of a video when they pulled up to greet Murphy:

Oh yeah baby, so good to be reunited.

The Actual Reunion

I am old enough with enough experience under my belt to know that this is magic: all this connection, relationships, responsibility, love. I am grateful for every single interaction. And so so grateful my parents created this opportunity for us.

My sister Saren and her family (the Looslis) were in charge this year (we rotate every year who is in charge).

They did such a great job keeping the tried and true magic: opening ceremony at sunset, the bonfire, the sunset walks, conversations at the dinner deck tables. Kids sitting on the roof of the tennis house watching tennis, weed pulling. Skiing on the gold.

Plus they added new ideas like a “hot sauce challenge,” belly flops, and trying to walk across a chain of paddle boards and lily pads. Pre-dinner dance parties and lizard catching. “Take me to the beach” song with synchronized dance moves, everyone lined up at the pavilion.

Traditional “Opening Ceremonies”

We have practically the same photo and set-up every year. Those who are in charge showing what’s coming up for the next few days on our reunion calendar.

So fun to have Murphy in the works with everyone else this year.

The schedule:

I can’t remember what this was, but I like it:

This year, rather than reunion t-shirts, my sister’s family opted for baseball caps. All in different colors of blue.

And they were a hit.

The Traditional First-Night Bonfire with a Twist

Of course the traditional bonfire is a must. But this year I love what the Looslis added. We usually have a playlist from all of our favorite songs people have sent in. We play it at the bonfire and everyone guesses who’s song is who’s, and they tell why they picked it. Then that’s our playlist for the whole reunion.

But this year they had everyone share a quote or thought that has really touched them for the last year. There were some really cool things shared, even from the grandkids, and I wish I had taken notes. So great to get a glimpse into what everyone is thinking and going through.

Then, of course, s’mores and dancing to all the songs people had still turned in.

Tennis Tournament With a Twist

The Looslis also had a twist on our traditional doubles tennis tournament. You had to pick a partner who was at a different skill level. Made for some great combinations. I love this one:

Love this spot where we all sit to watch tennis each year.

Some of the teams:

Work Project

Every year we do some kind of work project. This year we cleared out all the weeds behind the tennis court.

We had an assembly line to pass all those huge weeds out to the truck:

A Morning Run

One of the mornings there was an run. Looks like our family didn’t make a very great showing for this one…

The Beach Filled With All Kinds of Activities

The beach is the center of all our activities. Every year Dave and I ponder how we want to do our own reunions, and we always come to the same conclusion:

There is nothing like a beach to keep kids occupied all day long. We will go down there early in the morning and not come back until sunset (with an occasional nap tucked in there).

And everyone is just pleased as punch about that arrangement.

I love love love the discussions we have sitting on that porch down there, watching the kids build sandcastles and go out in the kayaks.

Occasionally the old boat will roar to life with begging teenagers to head out and waterski.

The paddle-boards are always in use.

This year one of my favorite things down there was a synchronized dance Noah and Kristi introduced and everyone got on board.

I always love being in this cluster of discussion groups, always filled with different people and different thoughts:

Oh wait, is that more Murphy love?

Kids in all different configurations using their imaginations on the beach:

Welcome and Unwelcome Guests

We had both this year:

Yes that’s a bat up there clinging onto Bennett’s shirt like there was no tomorrow. In the middle of the day.

Waterskiing

We are an old-school waterskiing family. From the time we were little we learned to ski. Our old boat was never powerful enough to pull us out of that water, we’d have to pull out on two skis and drop one behind to slalom.

Then we got a whiz-bang amazing used Mastercraft. Oh we were over the moon excited about that thing! It was over twenty years ago and still going strong.

Most of the kids have learned to ski on these suckers, which I think sadly blew away in one of the wind storms this year.

And waterskiing is still a thing, for those younger and older:

This year, once again, Lucy was determined she was going to get up. She had lots of helpers over and over again, but no luck, darn it!

I think everyone had fun in the process though, and that makes me happy.

Of course, there’s tubing too.

Skiing on the Gold

One of the most exciting things is when the water is calm enough after dinner that a few people sneak down to the lake to ski on it as it reflects the golden sunset.

This year, as part of the reunion, my niece-in-law and her family brought over their boat for a day. Boy howdy, that rallied up some serious excitement from everyone and all the teenagers were out in that thing all day long.

This lucky crew got to head down and take it out on the gold later that night.

Pretty exciting and special stuff right there!

New on the Docket this year: Three on Three Basketball

Saren’s family introduced something new this year: three on three basketball.

You had to choose a team that with heights that averaged out and everyone did a great job figuring out teams.

The players and the watchers:

Some watchers more involved than others…

Oh man do I ever adore those girls of mine!

And all the different groupings of players.

Reunion Meals

We take pride in our reunion meals. Everyone takes their assigned meal pretty intentionally. With so many people, you only have to be in charge of one meal so people put their hearts into it.

My sister-in-law introduced these puppies this year:

They were a big enough hit that I’ve had them on repeat over here ever since. I shared the flatbread with ricotta and hot honey recipe here on the blog.

There are other meals that are tried and true. These easy-peasy Asian Lettuce Wraps became tried and true for our family last year so we made it again this year.

The Lentil Tacos (on the right below) and my brother’s Japanese Curry are musts every year.

There’s always work going on in the kitchen making marinades and prepping portions of the meals for the next day.

…usually while things like this are happening over on the “talking couches” nearby.

…or some type of impromptu game.

Cookies

And let’s not forget the cookies that go on over here every night. I don’t think there was one night in the whole almost two weeks we were there where there wasn’t a fresh batch of cookies being whipped up.

And now the younger generation is going strong on the whipping those things up business.

Yes, we take our cookies seriously in the Eyre family. Lucy was bound and determined to win the cookie baking competition this year, and she did.

Jeff, my brother-in-law, boycotted the cookies and whipped up bread a few times this year. Oh man, it was good!

Sunset Walks

…are a must.

There’s nothing like getting out after dinner and taking in the expanse of all that beauty parading above the lake each evening.

One night we got this whole entire crew up there walking along up there on that road.

It was a record-breaking mass of sunset walkers, older nieces crowded next to Noah telling them something I’m sure full of love.

Lucy hopping along next to everyone, a giant smile stretched across her face.

I LOVE that Max has all these older dad mentors who are just so very good to him.

And this amazing mentor in my dad, loving everyone up.

Watercolor Painting

We worked on some watercolor painting over a discussion one cloudy afternoon:

Painting and talking is kind of therapeutic I think.

Hot Sauce Challenge

Each year we have a “Fear Factor” challenge, and it’s a favorite. Saren and her family switched this up this year as well and had the contestants see if they could handle various hot sauces.

I did not enter myself into the competition, but I think it was a hit.

Water Games

We always have some sort of water games. This year they tried to see how many Eyres could stand on the raft.

I think it was 33 plus a couple dogs?

They saw how many people they could fit on a paddle-board.

A LOT is the answer to that one.

There was a competition to see who could run the entire lengths of the paddle-boards and lily pads without falling.

And a brand new belly-flop competition:

Family Photos

We always, without fail, do a family photo while we’re all together. Our backdrop is a long story this year. Maybe as a symbol of the foundations we’re forming and how to build them strong and unshakeable??

Dave had to leave by this time to get back and help at our church back in the desert, so we missed him, but survived.

Church

We filled up the whole overflow of the Dingle ward:

Yes, we got to church in a place called Dingle and have for our whole lives of Bear Lake going. It’s the best.

Testimony Meeting

Loved our traditional testimony meeting, such mature thoughts spilling out from the grandkids now, so much to learn from them.

A New Ancestor Game

We are really big about learning about our ancestor. And the kids know quite a lot thanks to Grammie Camps through the years. I love that the Looslis put together this awesome customized “Guess Who” game filled with all our ancestors.

And as we played, we learned even more about them and their journeys that have paved the way so much for us.

And there we reach the end of the reunion.

All the festivities drew to a close.

But wait, there’s more.

And are you as tired reading about all this as my fingers are from typing about it? Ha!

If you’re still here you deserve a star.

Leaving for Oregon

After the reunion wrapped up, the OREGON CROWD left: My brothers filling up two huge cars with kids and supplies to camp in the mountains of Oregon for a few days.

Quiet Aftermath at the Lake

Once all those people leave, there’s some pretty beautiful stillness.

Golden Hour Lake Cruise

Those of us who were left took a golden hour lake cruise:

…were every more grateful for these two who make all this possible:

A Sunset Walk on a Different Terrain

We branched out from our regular sunset walk on the road to weave our way up through the sagebrush-laden mountains.

We gotta do that more often, it was so beautiful!

A Visit from Claire’s Friends

In the quiet reunion aftermath a few of Claire’s friends came to visit. We took them out in the boat:

One more evening out on the sunset-laden porch, Claire’s friends asking us all about the work of choosing a husband. And how they chose us.

MFME

We gathered with the women still left, sitting amidst green vines on a gravel porch waiting for pizza on the other side of the lake. So much goodness and so many motherhood years gathered around that table.

Raspberry shakes and then numbers gradually dwindling.

The End

The work of wrapping up that special time at the lake is always hot and nostalgic, together. Trying to get everything cleaned up and organized, little remnants of the magic that happened there scattered throughout.

We had one last dock discussion, fancy this time with chairs and an umbrella.

It was hard to tear myself away. Just me and Bo Jangles on the open road heading to meet my family and friends waiting for me in Salt Lake.

Continued over here where I talk about Utah pre and post the Eyrealm Reunion.

Boy oh boy, sending congrats to everyone who made their way through all these memories with me. That was a lot of work for both of us!! But I’m so happy to have them kept safely here.

XOXO

Other Reunion Posts that May Interest You

• How to Plan the Best Family Reunion
• Why Reunions Matter: The Emotional and Social Benefits
• Our Reunion Last Year…and not such a picturesque family picture 😉