Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Sharing Memories
Word of Wisdom from Ardith (Raatz) Cruit
As the last of the original 6 I feel it is great that we continue the reunions, it means that the family continues on and they know each other. It means a lot of work and I'm not good at blogs, but I have a lot of love ,still enjoy visits and of course a glass of wine.
As growing up I really think of Mom and Dad having two families, Edie and Marie and then 8 years later I came and then Shirley, Jim and Jeantte. When I wanted advice I went to my two big sisters, and probably Shirley did too. We both lived with Edie and then later years Marie and I were so close she advised me on many things. I guess I thought it was easier to talk with a big sister than a Mom. This is not saying I didn't love Mom and Dad, they were always there for me.
Joan (Gildersleeve) Staab Shares a Few Memories
"At the very beginning of the Raatz Reunions when it was decided to continue every four years - we were at Jeanette and Wes's in Missoula some of us (Dick and I, Chuck and Kay, ?) slept in sleeping bags in the shed. There had been reports of a bear in the area. One night as we were sleeping, I woke up - and a furry animal was standing next to me - I hollered "BEAR" !!! You should have seen how fast everyone cleared out of their sleeping bags!. As it turned out - the furry animal was Boe's dog who was unable to bark!
Another reunion - at one of the lakes in Minnesota - where we started giving out rewards. On my committee for cooking, etc. was Lloyd and Norm. I wasn't getting any (or very little) help out of them. So I suggested that we add 'The Big Dud!' award. They heard about it, but it was too late. They received it anyway - and they weren't too happy. But from then on they got in and helped when asked.
At the reunion at Dianne and Rocco's - Shirley and I had a horseshoe game against Richard Raatz and Norm. We beat them the first game - they weren't very happy so they challenged us to another. All of a sudden, Norm let out a yell (with a few strong words) - his open beer bottle was on a large rock near where we were playing horseshoes - and the Altobelli's dog (male) was peeing in his beer bottle!
And - at the last reunion in Silver Falls, Oregon - Larry received a new title - 'BATMAN'! Ardith went into her room and found Kim and Eden hiding in their bed under the covers - there was a bat in their room. We went outside to get help - Larry grabbed a blanket, went into the bedroom, and calmly threw it over the bat and calmly released it outside."
Tatum Owen's Stroll Down Memory Lane
My favorite memory of our family reunions might not be a surprise to some of you. It includes Chelsea’s feet, Ariel’s arms, Shae’s body and my head. That’s right it was our midgets in the morning skit at the Lake Tahoe reunion. We had not anticipated this skit would be such a hit. But, as you all know, the cool CATS live for the talent show.
Rehearsals began about a month before the reunion. We would grab our boom box and Chelsea would take the lead with the choreography, given her dance background. Shae would follow close behind (and a few beats behind) copying Chelsea’s every move. Once we got a basic idea of what our dance would be like, we would move onto the next one, all in all totaling about eight dances. You didn’t really think we would just do one, did you??
Then, about a week before the reunion, we would plan our matching outfits. That year, we were all about the coordinating capri and tank top outfits from Old Navy, complete with colored sunglasses and slicked back ponytails. I’m pretty sure we looked fabulous. But don’t worry, we didn’t really think we were that cool. It was only when Bob Staab gave us the name cool CATS that our amazingly entertaining dances may have went to our heads.
And so the cool CATS entered stage left for the grand finale. After several dances, outfit changes, laughs and groans from the audience, we geared up for our skit, meaning we all stuffed ourselves into a large t-shirt so you could only see my head, Ariel’s arms and Chelsea’s feet. It was a hit! Terry was peeing her pants (literally) and Rocco couldn’t stop laughing. We had a blast making everyone laugh, and decided that morphing four people into a midget was a far better talent than gallivanting around and calling it a dance.
Reflecting on the many reunions we’ve been to as the cool CATS makes me realize how much we have grown. All four of us have truly blossomed. Shae is no longer “Shy Shae” anymore, and is actually the life of the party with her hilarious personality. Chelsea still has her carefree spirit that reminds us all not to take life too seriously, and has grown into a beautifully smart role model and sister. Ariel is thriving in college with killer grades, sorority sisters and several jobs, and is now taller than me. And there’s me, working in the corporate world in my dream job and soaking up my 20s like there’s no tomorrow.
I have come to realize that we will always be the cool CATS, but as we grow up, we each mature into our own beautiful person. Now, you won’t see us in matching outfits, or spelling our initials into one word, instead you’ll see four unique personalities, four different outfits, and countless memories of the Raatz Reunion talent show.
Looking forward to Minnesota this year, see you all very soon.
Love,
Tatum Owen
Joanne (Raatz) Peterson's Reunion Memory
Mary asked if I would write a special memory from past reunions and one of the first memories was being at Loon Lake on my birthday(1976 reunion). It was my 12th birthday and I received alot more presents and birthday wishes than I would normally get. Pretty exciting for a 12yr old! I still have the card with all your names on it! Also on that same day we had a contest for guessing what time the Boes would arrive. Big time gamblers them Raatzs...I won $1.90 for guessing the correct time! I thought I had a great birthday!
