All About Our Family Reunion in Bear Lake

Last weekend we went to Utah for a family reunion at Bear Lake. Here are all the details about our stay, the VRBO we rented, and how we make it work as a family.

This past week we went to Bear Lake for our family reunion with my siblings and parents.

We’ve been doing this reunion since 2012, and used to do it every other summer, but in the last few years we’ve done it every summer.

I grew up going to reunions every other summer on my dad’s side, and every few years with my mom’s side. Our family has spread all over the country over the years, so it’s a great chance to get everyone together and have a fun and memorable weekend.

Here was our schedule for the weekend, and some answers to your questions from Instagram:

Thursday, July 15th 

• Check in at 4:00 p.m.
• Dinner  (French Dip sandwiches and corn on the cob) – BRADSHAWS
• Family Pictures – JANSSEN AND MERRICK in charge
• Minute to Win It Games – BRADSHAWS
• Family Come Follow Me – WHITES 
  

Friday, July 16th

• Breakfast – Cereal/breakfast sandwiches – CRAWFORD + BAILEY
• Beach Day – Ideal Beach Resort
  • Rental house has kayaks we can use
• Lunch (La Beau’s burgers and raspberry shakes) – MOM + DAD
• Dinner – (Crockpot – Cafe Rio Burritos and Salads) – WHITES
• Family scripture study – BRADSHAWS 

Saturday, July 17th

• Breakfast: Cereal/breakfast sandwiches – CRAWFORD + BAILEY
• Boat Day – 10:00-6:00pm – Epic Recreation RV and Marina
  • 12 people are allowed on the boat at a time. We will go in two shifts again (morning and afternoon) like last year. Those who are off the boat will have access to basketball, the pool, and pickleball at the clubhouse. The rental property has a pickleball set and a basketball. CRAWFORD bring extra pickleball set.
• Lunch – leftover Cafe Rio/Snacks (MCBRIDES) on the boat and at the pool
• Dinner – Pizza delivery (Summit Pizza Co) – MOM + DAD
• Family Come Follow Me – MCBRIDES
• Dessert (Muddy Buddies) – WHITES
• Movie Night or Pickleball/Swimming

Sunday, July 18th

• Breakfast: Cereal/breakfast sandwiches – CRAWFORD + BAILEY
• Family Home Church Service – DAD
  • Spiritual thought – CRAWFORD
• Check out at 11 a.m.
• Sack Lunches for the road – WHITES

We kept it super simple and very flexible. We have lots of little kids, so we switched things up as needed and for various activities some people joined and some did not. We just made it work!

My sister’s red swimsuit | similar white swimsuit (mine was from Aerie earlier this year)

Here are answers to your questions about our trip!

Q: Where did you stay in Bear Lake?

We stayed in Fish Haven Idaho this year at this gorgeous VRBO house.

Last year we stayed in a house in Garden City, which was a little closer to downtown with all the restaurants. The house this year was about 20 minutes north, but felt much quieter, had better amenities than last year, and we had a great experience.

The house was in a gated community that had access to a clubhouse with two pools, a hot tub, a sports court with pickleball and basketball and tennis courts, a gym, and a foosball table. It was endless fun in the evenings when we got home from the beach and the boat.

Q: How did you find the house you stayed in? (Friends, Air bnb, VRBO?)

We searched on Airbnb and VRBO. We had a general budget, and knew roughly how many bedrooms and bathrooms we needed, so that helped us narrow our search.

From there, we just looked through all the options and chose the one that looked clean and nice and had good reviews.

The most important thing for us is that every family had their own bedroom and bathroom. Last year families had to share a bathroom and it’s just tight and uncomfortable sometimes. This house had 7 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms and was perfect for our family.

The adults each got their own rooms, all the girl cousins shared one bunk room, and all the boy cousins (except the newborn) shared the other bunk room. My brother brought his girlfriend so she got one room and he had to sleep in the open loft on a pull out couch, so less privacy and comfort for him, but he did get his own bathroom and he was nice about it.

Q: How far in advance did you begin planning and finding a place?

Things book up very quickly in Bear Lake, so we actually got lucky. We booked this place at the beginning of February. I’m shocked it wasn’t booked for the weekend we were there. There were only about 5-6 houses that fit our criteria that were within a reasonable price range.

I had hoped to get it booked by last fall, but my parents weren’t sure of their schedule so we put it off til February. Thankfully we found this place, but I was a little stressed for a bit!

Q: How many people did you have?

We had 21 total, 10 adults and 11 kids.

• My parents
• My older sister and her husband and four girls
• My younger sister and her husband and four boys
• My family with our three boys
• My younger brother and his girlfriend

Q: Which company did you rent a boat from?

We rented through Epic Recreation at the RV Park and Marina location, which was about 20 minutes from our house. We rented the 12 Person 23′ Surf Boat and the accessory package for 8 hours.

Last year we did 6 hours and it was not enough time for all of us to get the time we needed on the boat (since we had to split into two groups and switch out in the middle).

There was another boat rental place closer to our house called Performance Rental, so we checked out their website on the way home, thinking maybe we’d rent from them next year. But their prices were higher and their reviews were worse. At Epic, they were super friendly and helpful and we had a great experience.

Q: Where did you rent the giant mat from?

My sister rented this from SUP Rentals in Springville last year and it was a favorite among the cousins, so we had to bring it back this year. My parents were driving from Las Vegas and my dad has a truck, so they picked it up and hauled it to the lake.

We didn’t see any people with them last year, but we saw a few on the lake this year. You can buy them HERE, but possibly there’s a place to rent them in Bear Lake.

Q: What is a good beach area?

Last year we went to Rendezvous Beach, which was fine. It was very crowded and you have to pay per car to enter.

This year, my brother in law got us access to Ideal Beach, which is a private beach for residents. His parents own a condo there, so he was able to get us in. It was much less crowded, and much nicer, but not accessible for most.

The owner of our rental house said North Beach was their favorite. We never went over there, but he gave it high praise and it’s closer to the rental house.

Q: Is the water freezing?

It’s chilly, but not freezing. We kept joking that it felt “refreshing” as we’d shriek as we jumped into the water from the boat. It’s the kind of temperature that takes your breath away for a second when you jump in, but you get used to it within thirty seconds.

It was also much warmer toward the edges of the lake, so when we played at the beach, it didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

Q: What activities did you have for kids and adults?

The house had a few toys (a tiny play kitchen that the kids loved), a pool table, and an XBox. But the clubhouse gave us most of the activities, with swimming, foosball, pickleball, and basketball.

We also brought some games and the Minute to Win It activities, and we logged into Netflix one night and a few people watched a movie while others were at the sports court.

Q: Do you have fun family traditions you do at each reunion?

Minute to Win It has been a tradition for the last few years, and it’s a great first evening “ice breaker” activity when we all get together.

We also always take a nice family picture (someone brings a camera and a tripod to use).

Besides that, we haven’t been really consistent about anything in particular. The last two years we’ve been at the lake, so we do a boat day and a beach day. And we plan to do Bear Lake for the next few years, at least — it’s a great location with lots of built in things to do, and we love the idea of the kids growing up learning to do water sports.

Q: How did you split up meals and household chores?

We split up meals between families, as you can see in the schedule above. This year, my little sister had a newborn baby, so we put her in charge of buying snacks for the pantry rather than a meal.

It’s also most cost effective and efficient for one family to be in charge of all the breakfasts, or all the lunches, so several families aren’t each bringing a gallon of milk, or multiple boxes of cereal. Otherwise you end up with way too much food.

We all love cooking and being together, so even though one family is in charge of a meal, everyone pitches in to help prepare, and then everyone cleans up. There were no specific assignments for cleaning.

Q: What is the Cafe Rio pork recipe you used?

My family was in charge of Friday night dinner and this is what I made. It’s always a hit.

I used THIS RECIPE from Heidikins Cooks. I’ve been making this recipe for a decade and it’s amazing. Just make sure you get a good cut of meat — that extra fat on a pork butt shoulder makes it super tender and makes the juice really soak in and make it very flavorful.

We also used THIS RECIPE for the cilantro lime rice, Heidikin’s recipe for the ranch dressing (but we added more mayo and less buttermilk cause otherwise it’s way too runny), and bought uncooked tortillas and mexican pinto and black beans from the grocery store.

The best part was that it cooked all day and was ready when we got home from the beach. We just whipped up the rice and other salad and burrito ingredients, and we were eating within 30 minutes of walking in the door.

Q: How do you handle the finances of the reunion?

We split the cost of the house 5 ways (per family). My youngest brother paid his part for the first time this year…in the past, he’s been under the umbrella of my parents part. He gets the short end of the stick cause he paid the same amount as my sisters, who each have 6 people in their families, but he was cool with it.

My parents covered the cost of renting the boat, and then we split the meals up according to assignment. Each of us purchased our own groceries for our assigned meals before arriving (Bear Lake has a little country store, but not a real grocery store, so it’s important to get groceries before you come! We stopped in Logan last year and Evanston this year).

We also all individually paid for our own travel expenses. It was most expensive for us since we live the farthest and flew in. All my siblings live about 3 1/2 hours away from Bear Lake by car, and my parents live in Las Vegas so they drove up (which was about a 9 hour drive for them).

Not everything is exactly even, but that’s real life and everyone is good about paying for their part.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

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