Peepaw's 1st Blog

Wow Yesterday I didn't know what a blog was and today I am one.
Thank you Katie for setting this up and showing me how to get with it.
You may have created a monster----now I can tell all my stories again and again.

I am such a blessed man. Love my family LOTS.....

PEEPAW

Atlanta

Every year at the beginning of August (almost guaranteed during Susan's birthday), the Reese crew would pile into mini vans and make the 6 hour trek to Atlanta, Ga. for the annual SNA convention. The reason for the trip was for the family business, Greenbriar Nurseries, to attend the trade show that was always held at the Atlanta convention center.  It was so much more than just a business trip though. It was filled with school clothes shopping, MARTA riding, CNN building touring, Coca-Cola tasting, Olympic grounds visiting (1996), Six Flags riding, parties attending, staring at that mural of faces and seeing what look-a-likes we could find, and so much more. Even the 'business' part of if was fun. The nursery industry was so family oriented and many of the people in the SNA were like family to the Reese's (Uncle Walter being one). 

Plus, we got to stay in the coolest hotel ever. I always thought that part of this place belonged to me since we faithfully stayed summer after summer. It was so familiar, and so special to us growing up. Funny how something like a hotel can mean so much to a kid. Take a look at it. See how neat it is shaped?

The second most fun thing about this hotel was to look straight up when you were in the lobby. We always heard that it was made to look like you were Jonah inside of the whale. I choose to believe that is true. Isn't it grand?

Of course even better than standing in the lobby looking up was riding the glass elevators from the basement level to the penthouse floor. 47 thrilling floors. I don't know how fast these elevators go, but I assure you they are fast. 

My favorite elevator story and possibly my favorite Atlanta story happened the summer of 1999. It was the year that Dad was the president of SNA, so we stayed on the 47th floor. Carlton came up that year and asked CJ and me to go to Six Flags with him. When you stay on the 47th floor, the elevator can get quite full as it stops at the lower floors. For the first few floors everyone graciously shuffled further back and closer together to accommodate new riders. A few floors later, everyone hesitantly shifted slightly to let someone squeeze on if they dare, although most people would do the sensible thing and wait for the next elevator that was not so filled to capacity. 

Then there was the mom with 3 kids.

Think mom. Think 3 small kids, one in an umbrella stroller. 

Picture that little family eager as the doors opened. We all stood there, thinking "There is not enough room for these people." No one in the elevator moved. The mom was determined to get on. She sent the older two in first and then tried to shove the stroller in. 

And then it happened. 

The doors started to close. Most people would reach for the button that holds the doors open. Not this group. We all just stood there. She started to shove the stroller back and forth, trying to confuse the doors and force her way in. It wasn't working. After a couple shoves she gave up, and told her kids to step out. We all just stood there. All the other people were not making eye contact. Except for CJ, Carlton, and me. The stroller was the last thing to exit. As the doors closed, we saw that toddler reach both arms out to us in the elevator as if to say, "help me! grab my hands and give me a ride." 

When the elevator started to descend again, there was a joint sigh among all the riders. Everyone knew they could have should have helped, but it was too late. CJ and I looked up to Carlton, and he just burst out laughing and started to mimic the sad little stroller kid, outstretching his arms. (can't you just picture Carlton doing this?)We saw the humor in Carlton doing this. Unfortunately no one else did. It made for a very ackward 30 seconds until we arrived at the lobby.

Okay family- that is one of my stories- Let's hear some of your Atlanta favorites!

Putting in My Two Scoops

I guess since I've been there from the beginning, I should be one of the first to add to this family blog. First, thank you Katie for thinking of this. It will be a fun place to keep up with everyone as the family grows. I will have to dig through boxes to find Ice Cream Day pictures from the early years, however, I'm afraid that we didn't document for the first ten years. The picture above was the only year I was "bagged". Greg and I had our cones in the parking lot of a McDonald's on I75. We were on our way home from picking Amy up from the airport in 2009.

My favorite Ice Cream day was July 6, 1985. That was Greg's first official cone on "the couch". He had been attending as a photo taker and ice cream "guest" since around 1977. I am so blessed to have this family heritage and to pass down this tradition to my children. We all enjoy the ice cream, but the kids have grown up understanding that the real significance of "Family Ice Cream Day" is to take the time to enjoy each other and share stories about our family and the love we all have for one another.

Thanks Mom and Dad! Susan

Ice Cream Day

How many gallons of ice cream do you think the Reese clan has consumed through the years? I think that is one for Dad to calculate and ask next July 6th. 


For non-Reese's who came upon this blog and have no idea what Ice Cream Day is...I will try my best to fill you in. Ice Cream Day is really not about the ice cream, more than it is about the family being together. It all started in 1969 when Bill and Meta were enjoying some ice cream with their kids one night. Someone (I have heard many different people claim to be that someone) noticed that they happened to all be on the couch together eating ice cream. Bill then proceeded to say that it was because it was Ice Cream Day, the 6th of July. The holiday stuck, and the Reese family has made it to the couch, ice cream in hand, every July 6th since. Here are some Ice cream day rules:

1. You must be legally in the Reese family to be in the photo. You are more than welcome to come to have some ice cream, but you cannot be in the photo. 
2. Dad has to use his old film camera. He takes a ton of shots, since he can't tell if they turned out until the film gets developed. We laugh and laugh watching him set the timer and run to make it in the picture in time. That is why he is usually kneeling with the kids on the ground. (I was happy to see he got to be in 'his' chair this year)
3. If you aren't on the couch, you have to touch someone that is on the couch. This used to be taken more seriously than it is now due to the fact that pretty much everyone is touching because there is so many of us.
4. Don't complain about your cone. We do it fast and organized on Ice Cream Day. Mom pre-makes the cones for easy hand off to ensure that everyone has a cone for the photo. This is unavoidable. I, however, would like to see more post photo ice cream fun in the future. 
5. Dad must make an Ice Cream Day speech. It is a combination of educating the grandkids on the history of the holiday, trying to stump the older kids with intricate trivia questions, and talking about the family. Vacations and family dreams have been unveiled during these speeches. They are (in my opinion) the best part of Ice Cream Day.
6. If you cannot be present on Ice Cream day you must eat ice cream wherever you are and take a picture. Reese's have been all over the world on various July 6's. I believe Carlton was in Russia one year, Amy was in Canada this year. I am sure there are more....
7. If you cannot be present on Ice Cream Day the Reese's will 'bag you' by drawing your face on a paper grocery bag and sticking you in with the rest of the family for the photo. This year the family got all fancy by printing photos of some of the missing members. This is not a new tradition- just the result of running out of paper bags. 

Props to Amy and the Lombard crew with their creative reversal of this process while on the carnival circuit in Canada. 

I am sure there are some more regular happenings with Ice Cream Day that I left out-- help me with more Reese's!

I would love to have a photo album of all the past Ice Cream Day photos in sequence. Do any of you have some oldies out there and could post them? 

Question for Reese family to reply:

What is your favorite Ice Cream Day memory?

Welcome to the Reese family blog!!!

Hello Family!

A good friend of mine has a family blog and I love reading it. Her family is spread out across many states and they all have access to their blog and use it as a way to stay in touch and to stay entertained. Let's have some fun.

Katie