We recently held the annual Tabyanan family reunion at the TabyanInn, and we had a fantastic time.

The Tabyanan Experience

The reunion this year was held on the weekend of July 22nd, with folks coming in on Thursday and Friday, and staying through the following Wednesday. We had a total of 11 family members come from California, Florida and Louisiana.

We hosted everyone at the TabyanInn, but they stayed at a couple Air BnBs in the local Paseo and Edgemere areas. That worked out extremely well, because, well, we did not have enough room to put that many people up!

Most importantly, the reason we have family reunions each year is because we found we were only seeing each other at weddings and funerals. As a family we decided that was not enough, and so we started having family reunions every year. Not everyone attends each year, but still it helps us keep in touch and maintain family bonds.

Like many families, the reunions pretty much center around food. No matter where we hold the reunions, there is always some great meals–the true Tabyanan experience!

We also find things to do, some old standards and some new. For example, people always like to go to the Alligator Farm or King’s Street when we go to St. Augustine, Florida. But this time we did some new things, like visiting the First National and the Riversport Adventure District here in OKC. No matter what we do, though–it is as a family.

A Taste of Oklahoma City

Traci and I did try to give everyone a taste of our town, and I think we did not disappoint! Of course we spent some time at the pool at Twin Hills, which everyone loves. As I mentioned, we also took everyone to the First National, a remodeled bank that is now an upscale bar/restaurant/hotel. That was a big hit, too–you just do not expect something like that in Oklahoma City!

On Sunday we split up, with some folks going to Riversport to do rafting and tubing, while the rest of us went to the Stockyards to go shopping and visit McClintocks. I think the kids really got a kick out of the waterpark, while the adults enjoyed the western stores and bar!

One of the big things we wanted to do was take the family out to Eischen’s, in Okarche, OK. Everyone really got a kick out of that, from the fact that you can only order a whole fried chicken to the remains of the oldest bar in Oklahoma.

We did not make it to Bricktown (most folks had been there before), but we did do a brewery crawl one night. We hit a couple local breweries–one we had planned to visit was closed that night–and had a great time.

I did get to take a couple of my cousins down to the newly-finished Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in south OKC. That was a really moving experience for me, and I highly recommend it.

Of course what taste of OKC would be complete without food! Normally we always cook some family Cajun food for "the big meal," but this time we all agreed to just have a burger burn. I grilled burgers and hot dogs while everyone visited. We even had some close friends over, and I think everyone had a great time.

Traci’s parents even came down from Enid one day for breakfast, and we introduced them to chorizo and eggs. I wasn’t sure how that would go over, but her mom really seemed to like it–and everyone liked both of them.

Already Planning the Next One

As we do every year, we already planning the next family reunion. We like to rotate them between the major locations of the family to give the hosts a rest and let folks have some variety.

The next reunion will be in St. Augustine, Florida in 2024. I’m looking forward to that one–I love St. Aug, with the water and old buildings. It’s just a great time.

With the years passing, we have lost a few members of the family, and like everyone we will lose more–that is just the way of life. That makes every chance to see the ones you love more precious, and something to be treasured. I really love seeing the family, and so do they. It can be bittersweet, but it is something that do with the ones we love. And we’re all looking forward to seeing each other again!

Marc