This past weekend we went up to Battle Creek, Michigan for a much anticipated celebration of Enoch's 100th Memorial. Fourth of July is our usual summer family reunion, however this year was quite special, since it was 100 years ago that our grandfather, Enoch, was born. Our aunts and uncles decided to plan a whole weekend of events to commemorate his life. It was a very fun, educational, and quite a memorable weekend!
We arrived early Saturday morning at Willard Beach to spend the afternoon. The weather was perfect, and all my cousins, aunts, and uncles began arriving. Nearly everyone in our family was in attendance minus a few cousins. Although there was a heat warning on the beach, it did not stop us from a day full of games and sports; bocce ball, soccer, baseball, and football made the swimming all the more refreshing! For lunch we ate pulled pork sandwiches, beans, and an amazing Taco Salad made by Jenny. Then came the main event of the day, the Enoch Olympics.
This event was planned by Uncle Marc, Carl, and my dad to commemorate Grandpa Enoch's athletic lifestyle. He was a weightlifting extraordinaire, passionate about exercise and fitness. The events of the day were all Enoch specialties, such as push-ups, sit-ups, jump-rope, handstand, plank, and swimming. We would then tally the total points of each event to determine the winner. Most of our cousins participated; Geoff, Danny, John, Connor, Marc, Jennifer, Ingrid, Kathy Bell, myself, Philip, Gabriel, and Andres. Here are the results;
Push-Ups: Who could do the most push-ups in two minutes. Geoff was first with 76. I finished fourth with 44.
Sit-Ups: Who could do the most sit-ups in two minutes. Danny won first, and I once again finished fourth.
Jump-Rope: Who could do the most jump-ropes, without messing up. Danny won first with over 200. I think I finished fifth or sixth on this one.
Handstand: Who could walk on their hands the longest time. I won first on this one, walking for over 11 seconds. I think I suprised everyone when I beat the favorite, Kathy Bell, who walked for 8 seconds.
Plank: Who could hold a plank position for the longest time. Ingrid won gold on this one.
Swimming Race: A swimming race from one point to another. Geoff won gold on this one.
Underwater Swim: Who could swim the furthest underwater. Uncle Marc shocked everyone and swam the longest distance underwater to win gold.
Cousin Danny won the most points to win the Enoch Olympics, and was awarded a golden 10-lb dumbbell as a trophy. It was a very well organized event, and some good fun competition.
Later that night we continued the festivities at my aunt Cathy's house. We drank some beer and played a Corn-Hole tournament. Marc was my partner, and we made it to the second round, however lost a heart-breaker, by one point, to Jenny and her boyfriend Chris who went on to win the championship. Afterwards we had an award ceremony in the garage, followed by some Enoch Trivia. Then our aunts and uncles began sharing stories and famous Grandpa quotes. Here we got to learn alot about our grandfather's interesting life.
How he traveled on trains for 7 years during the Great Depression, moving from job to job to survive. He had many jobs throughout his life, working as an extra in Hollywood, a car salesman, a gym owner, a tomato farmer, and many others. He met our grandmother, Hilda, in this tomato farm. He was a fitness enthusiast, and his gym was his greatest passion. This would surely explain how our family came to be so athletic and competitive.
The next morning, dad, Andres, and myself drove up to Lansing for baby Brett's baptism. We went to church in the heart of Michigan State, which was a very modern mass. Afterwards we went over to Aunt Laurie's house for a barbecue, and spent the day sitting and talking. It was fun catching up with Marc, Laura, and Jennifer. I finally got back home around 8ish. It was a very eventful and memorable weekend with the family.
We arrived early Saturday morning at Willard Beach to spend the afternoon. The weather was perfect, and all my cousins, aunts, and uncles began arriving. Nearly everyone in our family was in attendance minus a few cousins. Although there was a heat warning on the beach, it did not stop us from a day full of games and sports; bocce ball, soccer, baseball, and football made the swimming all the more refreshing! For lunch we ate pulled pork sandwiches, beans, and an amazing Taco Salad made by Jenny. Then came the main event of the day, the Enoch Olympics.
This event was planned by Uncle Marc, Carl, and my dad to commemorate Grandpa Enoch's athletic lifestyle. He was a weightlifting extraordinaire, passionate about exercise and fitness. The events of the day were all Enoch specialties, such as push-ups, sit-ups, jump-rope, handstand, plank, and swimming. We would then tally the total points of each event to determine the winner. Most of our cousins participated; Geoff, Danny, John, Connor, Marc, Jennifer, Ingrid, Kathy Bell, myself, Philip, Gabriel, and Andres. Here are the results;
Push-Ups: Who could do the most push-ups in two minutes. Geoff was first with 76. I finished fourth with 44.
Sit-Ups: Who could do the most sit-ups in two minutes. Danny won first, and I once again finished fourth.
Jump-Rope: Who could do the most jump-ropes, without messing up. Danny won first with over 200. I think I finished fifth or sixth on this one.
Handstand: Who could walk on their hands the longest time. I won first on this one, walking for over 11 seconds. I think I suprised everyone when I beat the favorite, Kathy Bell, who walked for 8 seconds.Plank: Who could hold a plank position for the longest time. Ingrid won gold on this one.
Swimming Race: A swimming race from one point to another. Geoff won gold on this one.
Underwater Swim: Who could swim the furthest underwater. Uncle Marc shocked everyone and swam the longest distance underwater to win gold.
Cousin Danny won the most points to win the Enoch Olympics, and was awarded a golden 10-lb dumbbell as a trophy. It was a very well organized event, and some good fun competition.
Later that night we continued the festivities at my aunt Cathy's house. We drank some beer and played a Corn-Hole tournament. Marc was my partner, and we made it to the second round, however lost a heart-breaker, by one point, to Jenny and her boyfriend Chris who went on to win the championship. Afterwards we had an award ceremony in the garage, followed by some Enoch Trivia. Then our aunts and uncles began sharing stories and famous Grandpa quotes. Here we got to learn alot about our grandfather's interesting life.How he traveled on trains for 7 years during the Great Depression, moving from job to job to survive. He had many jobs throughout his life, working as an extra in Hollywood, a car salesman, a gym owner, a tomato farmer, and many others. He met our grandmother, Hilda, in this tomato farm. He was a fitness enthusiast, and his gym was his greatest passion. This would surely explain how our family came to be so athletic and competitive.
The next morning, dad, Andres, and myself drove up to Lansing for baby Brett's baptism. We went to church in the heart of Michigan State, which was a very modern mass. Afterwards we went over to Aunt Laurie's house for a barbecue, and spent the day sitting and talking. It was fun catching up with Marc, Laura, and Jennifer. I finally got back home around 8ish. It was a very eventful and memorable weekend with the family.
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