The Gathering Program!!!!

***Program info for the first..... “Tim & Rona Otis Gathering”.

July 2nd, 2009 /Thursday/; Arrive at the Temple, early, about 5:30 pm, then be dressed and up stairs in the chapel by 6:10 pm. The rooms load approx at 6:20. The session is about 1 & ½ hours, putting us out about 8 to 8:30 pm. Sessions run every half hour, so make sure you are on the 6:30 session and not the 6 etc.

After about 6 pm the Temple gets a lot more busy (ie. the Provo and West Jordon Temples are closed, making the American Fork Temple even more busy than usual), so please arrive early. Due to the high potential of being caught and going into overflow, or having to wait, we will put off the picture taking sessions until the dinner on Friday. Trish & I work on Tuesday nites. On last Tuesdays shift, the wait for endowment sessions started to run into overflow with about a 45 minute wait around the 7:00 session for the rest of the nite. Another problem with the high activity is being able to find a locker and rent clothes with the high number of people going through........ So plan to arrive early!!!



July 3rd, 2009 /Friday/; Please be at the stake ctr. (about 500 N 500W, Orem, the one in Cliff’s stake) before 6:00 pm. The back door on the north east side will be open. The cultural hall is on the left, Kitchen is further down the hall.
Take a seat in the cultural hall. The goal is to have every one seated and ready by 6: 10 pm.

The program will consist of an opening song, prayer & blessing on the food, and presentations while we eat. The opening songs (Pop-Corn Popping & I am a child of God), under the direction of Heather & Jared. Each family will be given a packet with the following items in it:
a.) Short life sketch on Marion & Sohpie prepared by Cheryl & Ron.
b.) Short life sketch on Clarence, Elmer, & Eva prepared by Trish.
c.) Written Reports on Tim & Rona prepared by Tim & Rona.
d.) Contact info, goals, and a brief summary of family doings.
e.) A family organizational sheet prepared by Erica & Scott.

During the eating time, Tim & Rona will field and answer questions about their lives, what is was like, and what advice they feel impressed to pass on to their posterity. During this special time, hopefully parents who have noisy kids, or loud and obnoxious mates, will greatly encourage them to be reverent and listen. In the cultural hall sound carries and some of us have big time hearing problems, and would like to hear. Across the hall is the baptismal room where executions will be conducted on offenders.

After about 20 to 30 minutes, we will sing two more songs under the direction of Heather & Jared (I Love to See the Temple & Families Can Be Together Forever); have a closing prayer and a blessing on the games.

The time will then be turned over to Michael & Amanda for games: These games may include:

Inside Games:

Red Rover (Good name recognition game)

Police Lineup: divide into 2 teams. The team to "Line Up" first, wins!
Line up by: height, tallest to smallest hair color, light to dark birthdays, Jan to Dec Alphabetically by first name How many books read in the last 2 months size of favorite animal, smallest to largest etc.
Guess the Voice: Kids back to back with parents. Give parent a phrase to read and kids must guess if it's their parent.Then kid reads phrase and parent has to guess if it's their kid.
Family Hunt: "Find someone who..." has green eyes, has lived outside the US, has lived in California, served a mission, etc....first person to fill out all the questions gets a prize.

Outdoor Games:
Water Balloon toss
Sponge Relay: 2 buckets, one filled with water, one empty. Using a sponge, take water from one bucket and squeeze the water into the other bucket. First to fill it wins.

A table will be set up at the beginning for writing notes to our missionaries, under the direction of Kallie & Mackay. The intent is for everyone to make their mark. These will them be mailed to Andy & K.C.

Around 7:30 or so, we are all invited to help in clean-up and putting the church back in order.

I hope everyone will come and participate, this year and every year after. I will mail one of these packets to those who have conflicts, with hopes you will attend next years activities. This will be a yearly event, about the same time each year.

One thing we might discuss & vote on next year is a Family motto. The theme for this years’ get together is best illustrated with a plaque that Matthew & Jen gave us this past year with the words written on it:

“OTHER THINGS MAY CHANGE US,
BUT WE START & END WITH FAMILY.”

Eats

Hello everyone, I was informed that we are moving the BBQ to the great Stake Center at (Dad's) church... I am in charge of food assignments. This will change things a bit since we can't cook in the church, instead of bringing meat to cook we will need to bring our own dinner and a salad to share, Cliffs kids i.e. Mike and Amanda, Matt and Jen, and Rob and I-- will bring dessert. There should be about 40ish people there, Sound Good?? Fill free to bring chips, dip, or any other snack with your salad. Thanks! I will get the paper plates, cups, and napkins. Let me know if there are any concerns thanks!

Crystal

p.s.for example- Rob and I are bringing a pizza or sandwiches for our family for dinner-- you cannot cook at the church but you can warm something up

Update May 28, 2009

1.) **Update and minor change for the Temple on Thursday, July 2, 2009;
It has come to my attention that it would be easier for more to attend the Temple for our family reunion event, if we moved the time to early evening. So, let’s plan on getting into the 6:30 pm session @ the Mount Timpanogos Temple in American Fork. Arrive at the Temple about 5:30 pm for a few quick pictures, then be dressed and up stairs in the chapel by 6:15 pm. The session is about 1& ½ hours, putting us out 8 to 8:30 pm. They load the room about 10 minutes before the session begins. After about 6 pm the Temple gets a lot busier. ........Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

2.)**Another Request
Could everyone (single, or married, young or old) email me a few items:
A.) Your Home & Business addresses.
B) Your email, any Web sites, Blogs, Facebook, (etc.) addresses for you or members of your family. If you are single, or married, or young or old,... this includes you.
C.) The Names of your Kids & their dates of births.
D.) And a 50 word summary of what you are doing;
E.) & 3 goals you want to set for your self for the next 3 years. (for example..... one of my goals is to not die. Another is to trim 3 to 4 inches off my belly by then. Another goal is for me to either shake hands or kiss my wife once a week & to say something nice to her. (I don’t want to send her to the psychiatric unit or emergency room). Another goal would be to take 10 ancestors to the Temple.) Please have everyone do this, & make them true but interesting & maybe bizarre. Hopely you will have other goals for yourself, just make public 3, & send them to me.

Please send (email) all this stuff to me before June 13, 2009. I’ll cut and paste and make a copy for everyone to pass out at the dinner / program on Friday eve July 3rd 2009.

3.) **Another Request
Those of you who will not be able to attend;.....could you please put together a message to share with the family, & send (email) it too, by Friday the 13th to me. I already have one from one of our missionaries, ‘Elder KC Otis’. These I’ll either make a copy of, or post to our Web site > “Otis Family Happenings” < that Crystal has put up (thank-you Crystal).

Thanks,
Cliff

CliffOtis@yahoo.com

Family Reunion Time!!!

The Tim Otis Family reunion will be July 2 and 3rd

Mt Timp Temple on Thursday July 2nd at 5:30 pm for a couple of pictures, then go in and do the 6 session. They usually load the room about 7 to 10 minutes before the 6:00 mark so the session will begin real close to 6:00This means we all have to be dressed and be up in the chapel before 5:40pm. The session will be over approx 8pm.

Then On Friday July 3rd 6:00 Meet at Cliffs Stake Center for Pot Luck

Second Reminder from Cliff

Hi,

It is now the end of April 2009 and July 2009 is just around the corner. I know that many wonderful..., and hard..., and dramatic things have happen in just the last few months to all of us.

I hope things are opening up & working out, for every ones participation in this first adventure of "The Gathering'. This is just an attempt for all of us to get together and enjoy each others company for a couple of days and pay honor to Tim & Rona Otis and our forebears.

A copy of the original letter (Aug of 2008) with a few corrections is attached. Please open it up and review your assignments and let me know within the week, 1.) if you will be able to come, and 2.) if you'll be able to fullfill you assignments (or if you have delegated it.)

I've talked to several of you over the last few months and thought that a reminder and a narrowing down of times and places was in order:
For those that can, let's plan on meeting (out front of the main entrance) of the Mt Timp Temple on Thursday July 2nd at 12:30 pm for a couple of pictures, then go in and do the 1:30 session. They usually load the room about 7 to 10 minutes before the 1:30 mark so the session will begin real close to 1:30pm This means we all have to be dressed and be up in the chapel before 1:20pm. The session will be over approx 3:15pm.

Then On Friday July 3rd,
1.) Matthew & Jen will lets us know on the place;
2) Crystal & Rob will let us know about the food:
& 3.) Michael & Amanda will let us know about Games, etc.

I would think that an evening gathering in the shade would be advisable.

Please note above to whom I've sent this to, and let me know if I've missed anybody. Please feel free to pass on this info to anyone I've missed.

Thanks for considering this & I hope everyone will be able to make it and add to everyone's enjoyment.

(KC & Andy are excused because of mission service) awesome!!!.

Take care & please let me know as soon as you can. It is like everything depends on everything else.

Cliff

First letter from Cliff

Once a year during the first week in July every year for the next 150 years or so, you are invited to come and participate in a ‘Gathering’. Its purpose is to strengthen family relationships, bring out the best in each other, develop deeper friendship bonds, promote family history, along with enjoying each other’s company for a couple of days. It will be a 2 day project / event.

Each year the preparation for this event will involve lots of interaction between our families. These assignments are for the whole family with the Mom & Dad calling the shots. For example AJ & Andy should work with their Mom, Cindy to help her fulfill her assignment. David you have the most kids so you get lots of assignments.

Day one will be a date at the Temple with each participant taking a family name through, or doing the Temple work for a family name. Maybe as the younger generation gets older, they can do ‘baptisms for the dead’ on ‘Day One’ along with our temple work, etc. Day two will be a get together for lunch/dinner with games, food and a program.

The focus will be for the forbearers of Tim & Rona , Tim & Rona’s snotty kids, their kids, & their kids, & their kids, & etc. and anyone else who would like to participate.

Assignments:

1.) Could a representative from each family (David, Cheryl, Cindy) unit contact me & let me know when during the first week of July 2009 which two days would be best, & a head count, and make sure all is invited?

2.) Grandpa Tim & Grandma Rona, at the dinner ‘get-together’ would you put on a 10 minute presentation on what it was like to be a kid in your time & what advice you would give to your growing family?

3.) Cindy, could you be in charge of contacting and receiving a ‘bio’ on each family unit and what is going on in their lives? Maybe get pic’s, birth dates, where they work, major events in their lives, their addresses, emails, blogs, maybe each kid could write 3 things they want to do with their lives by the time they’re 30; etc. Then make copies & pass it out at the ‘gathering’. If you can put this all together maybe I can make copies at my work (black & white).

4.) Cheryl & Ron, could you put on a 5-7 minute presentation on Grandma Sophie & Grandpa Marion? Invite Rusty & Jamie, & bring some of your melt in your mouth desert.

5.) David & Deanna, could you put on a 5-7 presentation on Grandpa Clarence, Grandpa Elmer(Jack) & Grandma Eva? & come up with a motto, crest or coat of arms for this gathering? & Have Wilhelm bring a German wiener for everyone (just kidding). Davey & Nate are assigned to bring a ‘date’.

6.) Crystal & Rob, could you make food assignments for day two? Maybe bring your own meat & a dish to share & a six pack of beverage. Work with Matthew & Jen to get grills & such there

7.) Michael & Amanda, could you come up with several games for the kids & an adult game where no one gets hurt? Work with Heather & Jared on the songs

8.) Matthew & Jen, could you find a place large enough for all of us and get tables & chairs, shade, and mild temperatures?

9.) Erica & Scott could you put together a family tree type thing; a large one to hang up & a smaller version to pass out to each family one or two pages? Maybe go back a couple of generations before Tim & Rona then draw everyone else in down to the present.

10.) Heather & Jared, could you come up with a few songs for the kids to sing? (Like primary type) & an opening and closing song for the program.

11.) Kallie & McKay, could you have materials there for everyone who wants to write a note to our active missionaries & service men? Then make sure it gets to them.

12.) Willem & Jen, could you have a small reward put together for the person who loses the most ‘%’ of body fat in the ‘Family Fat butt’s dieting group’? Announce the winner & etc. Maybe the prize could be crinkled twinke.

13). I thought for the next few years I’d make the assignments & ask for your help in getting this going. So if you have suggestions, or want to do certain things please let me know for future years. Maybe after that a committee of the ‘just married generation’ (Michael, Matthew, Crystal, Erica, Heather, Kallie, Rusty, Jamie, Danny, Jennifer… Etc.); could take over then, and make this even better.

14.) If you have a suggestion on how to make this better let me know. I’ve seen this in other families developed to the point that the family group buys a house, or gives a substantial gift to new couples who get married in their family. This is on top of whatever Mom & Dad do for their kids. Some family groups have a perpetual Mission fund, or a college fund set up. While other families, have an emergency fund or medical fund or what ever. Some families have a genealogy fund /project or buy ground for a family park. While other families meet in different and exotic locations each year. Lots & lots of possibilities. This is just a beginning and we can make it as small or big as we want to. Right now there are no dues or any stuff like that. Let’s just get together, here in Utah County, at least once a year and have a good time. This event is in addition to what you individually have going on.

On ‘Day one’, lets met at the Mt. Timp Temple in Af @12:45 for a picture out front, and hit the 1:30pm endowment session (got to be in the chapel dressed, pick up the family name card at the main floor desk, dress & upstairs by 1:15pm,… Crystal). Here in Utah we don’t have that new program set up yet, so you have to use the Temple ready program and let the Temple know about a week in advance of the name you want to do, so they can print it on the right paper & have it ready for you. Temple phone # is 1-801-763-4540. Maybe after the session we can have a bite down in the cafeteria.

On day two, meet for the dinner & program. The program will consist of a prayer, song, eating, the presentations, games, & activities.

Let me know what you think. Are there other assignments we need to pass out?

Like having a ‘designated diaper changer’???

Does anyone not want to take an assignment?

Please get back to me soon. Thanks

Cliff