Ed & Clara Plates AND Scandalous photos :)

It was the every 2 year Chamberlain Family reunion this past weekend-  All 115+ of us meet at an organizational camp ground about 45 minutes away (the camp has cabins, a chapel, and a large eating hall). 2 Years ago our Ellie was born the week before so we were not able to make it up.  4 years ago we had just moved to Hawaii so again, not able to make it.  All that being said.......it's been awhile!

At the Chamberlain reunions a fundraiser is done to help off-set the cost of the next reunion.  The talented members of the family will make things to be sold and the not so talented will bring family memorabilia (pictures, etc...) to be auctioned- The auction format is first a silent auction where various things are auctioned by way of a paper taped in front of the item (which is sitting on a table) with slots to write your name and how much you want to bid on the particular item-  second is the live auction........Scandalous (smile) things like a blown up picture (that my brother Levi had made just to shock my aunt and uncle at the auction) of my aunt Anne and uncle Reid when they were dating (1972ish) posing by the lake.....my aunt standing in her bikini and my proud uncle beaming from ear to ear standing beside her goes for $100. at this live auction (bought by my uncle Reid).

6 years ago I bought an apron my nana had made- It was sold at the live auction..........

This year I bought 2 plates.....The Ed and Clara plates from the silent auction....

Ed Chamberlain married my great grandma Clara in 1912- I really do not know a lot about their history except that my great grandma Clara was called Na-Nan.  During their marriage, they had many children.......one of them being a son they named Ray.  Ray married a woman named Harriet Hagen (who to this day is one of the classiest women I know) and they had 3 Children........A son first that they named Rick Edward and two daughters- Petra and Anne.

Rick married a woman named Ellie and they had 2 girls........ the first daughter they named Jodi Rae (after Rick's dad, my grandpa) and the second birth is where I came into the Chamberlain Family...........63 years after my great grandpa Ed and my great grandma Na-Nan were married I was born.

In 1962 Great Grandpa Ed and Na-Nan celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.  I am not sure if my na-nan decorated 2 plates (for wall hanging) in celebration of their 50th (forget decorating the plates na-nan...you should have decorated yourself with 2 plane tickets to somewhere tropical for a 50 day vacation!!!) or if they were given the 2 wall hanging plates as a gift for their 50th..........

The plates have a bit of an Asian feel and are decorated with fabric.  Written at the bottom of 1 plate is 'Ed' and at the bottom of the other is 'Clara' and they were up for grab at the silent auction.......

A piece of my great grandparents history now hangs on the wall going from my living room into my dining room-
A piece of their history that is celebrating 50 years of their marriage!

I LOVE MY ED AND CLARA PLATES and I LOVE MY CHAMBERLAIN FAMILY!