Okay......I am posting a disclaimer here. If you don't know me you will know what I am about to say about myself seems out of character. Lifetime television has a new show on television called, Top that Party. It is about party planners and the wild partys read:(over the top expensive) they throw. Well soon they will air a party thrown by one of my friends. There were only about 6 black people at the party of which 3 were men so we shold stand out. I am the short woman with curly hair. ANYTHING you see me do on camera is all smoke and mirrors, it is a reality show people! I may get edited out and that would be fine with me I have a reputation to uphold!

The question, you can remain anonymous if you like.... What have you done you are thankful was not caught on camera? Keep it clean!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We have three family birthdays this month, Joyce Watson, Kim Mitchell and Jefferson Thomas Weeks-Young! Yeah, the others won't give their age but JT will be 2 on the same day as Kim's birthday September 23rd! A big birthday wish to them all.... Eat lots of cake for me!

More sad news, my aunt Dorthea Bivins went to be with the Heavenly Father a few days ago. I missed seeing her at the family reunion and I am shocked and saddened by the news. She was a wonderful wife, and a loving mother to a group of beautiful children and grandchildren. As a Christian wife and mother she is what I aspire to be, a true Proverbs woman. She and my Uncle James Bivins were married for 45 years, she will truly be missed by all who were Blessed to know her. We cannot prevent death but we can celebrate the lives we were given. Do not wait to start living until it is time to go home. Get to know a family member you do not, reconnect before the time is gone.
Cheri

I just got back from vacation with my faamily. We visited my husbands family in Mammoth, CA. We fished, and fished, and fished some more. Their were bears folks, real ones. They were within 100 feet of my children. What was I thinking? Well, I guess it is no worse than choosing to spend a n entire week with family! LOL But seriously, my kids got to hang out with the only cousins they have on my husbands side that are their age. They had a fantastic time, even if they did drag me to the lake and make me fish, secretly I enjoyed it.

Children should have memories like those, I know my oldest will never forget lazer tag with her cousins! Or running through the sprinklers on the way to the zoo!

Sadly my cousin passed last Friday. I know her mother and I am confident that I will meet her across the river. Make connections with people now, time is so very precious, though at times it seems to drag on. My father is related to a celebrity, he is hesitant to contact this man, who he has known his entire life though they live 20 minutes from each other. I think he is hesitant about his reaction after all these years. I have encouraged him to contact him, he doesn't need anything from the man, but the man may need him. Especially in a place like Vegas where home cooking cannot be found! Reach out to those you haven't talked to in years, family is just a phone call away. You can reach me on this blog by clicking on comments and posting.

Family is important to me. I guess that would seem weird because many of you reading this have probably never met me. That is because I grew up in California, isolated from most of my extended family. I moved away from home when I was 18 and am proud to say I didn't look back, my parents raised me to be independent. That didn't stop me from creating a family wherever I moved to. I always had the same comfort food on Easter, spent Thanksgiving around the table at someone's home. And when I got my first place became the hostess... everybody is welcome in our home. We've had guest show up that we barely knew. We laugh, play games, eat, and get on each other's nerves... just like family. My kids don't always know the difference.

I had the closeness I think a family is supposed to have once, for a little while, then my Auntie passed and that was torn apart. My cousin left California, and it changed the course of our lives forever. Her death....(here's where I stop keeping family secrets)....detroyed my mother. I miss her even now, 20+ years later. We were close.....

I found out recently that a cousin I have never met is gravely ill. If you pray.. pray for her and her family. I believe in miracles, I am one. God gave me a family, we are close, we love each other, we fight, and we would fight anybody else for each other. I grieve family that I have never met, I grieve memories never made....But I cherish the ones I do have, sandy hot dogs, fights in the pulpit, toys dug up from a basement, the smell of 7-up cake and the best hot water cornbread (courtesy of Agnes Sherman) in the world. So if you want to create a memory, come visit us at Thanksgiving, we aren't sure if we'll be in Vegas or Disneyland but you're welcome at either place.

Hey, if you missed the last family reunion, you'll want to get to the next one! I'm volunteering to plan it! I want your input. Where would you like it to be held? Gaitlinburg, TN., Miami, FL., Las Vegas or Myrtle Beach? Or we can take a cruise! Let me know soon so I can have an agent get the best pricing for us. I work with some of the best agents in the business. Save the date now this will be a fun filled event wherever we go and there will be events for the whole family! I will use an agent with a payment plan, and arrange a charter from Alabama to Atlanta for the elderly. Place your votes now!

Welcome to our family Blog! My name is Cheri Weeks-Young and I am planning the next family reunion in either, TN, Las Vegas, Orlando, or Vegas in June 2009.

How am I a Bivins? Well, My grandfather is Spurgeon Bivins his mom was Levy (big mama), his father John. My mother is his second eldest daughter Earnestine, the smart, somewhat brooding one. How are you a Bivins? Pleas share below.