Getting It Right--Jill Greenlaw

Getting It Right—Jill Shepherd Greenlaw

    Did you know that Jill Shepherd was once a very successful Loan Officer for Wells Fargo Bank? And, she gave it all up in 1993, to become Kellert Greenlaw’s wife and the eventual mother of 4 great kids: Hayden, Jessica, Andrew, and Trevor. Getting back into the work-world wasn’t easy for this stay-at-home-mom who loved being a homemaker and scrapbooker. After dabbling in direct sales, she began working from home for Mom It Forward, (an online, social media platform) as a Community Manager. At first, I was briefly involved, and it took me back to the days when we used to collaborate on high school writing assignments, and I did her editing! Then, she took off, spread her wings, and really began to fly!

     The following is an article that shows her creative writing ability. She it wrote for Mom It Forward on our own Shepherd Flock Family Reunion in 2012 (?) at the Farnworth home in Draper, Utah. Many of you will remember the fun “Minute to Win It” contests, water-balloon volleyball, etc. What an incredible time we all had! Here’s Jill’s point by point blog she wrote for that event:

Planning a Successful Family Reunion

8 Tips to Get You on Your Way: written by Jill Greenlaw

1.    Make a Plan—Involve your whole family in the planning of the event. My family has a private Facebook group where we all share ideas and important information about what is going on in our families. Every other year we take turns spearheading the reunion, but we divide and conquer. Our private Facebook group is the perfect place to keep everyone informed on the details of the reunion. 

2.    Pick a Place—My family is located in Idaho and Utah. Finding a spot that is easy for everyone to meet is something we always try and make work. Some years we have gone to Idaho, but since the majority of the family live in Utah, the last several years we have had our reunion here. Not everyone can always attend every year. Be flexible and take what you can get from each family member.

3.    Watch the Cost—Family budgets are different for everyone. If you don't plan far enough in advance, it can increase the price and make it harder for some families to attend. Try and keep costs down, without skimping on the fun.

4.    Divide and Conquer—Spread out the meals between family members. During our reunion, we are each responsible for one meal for the whole group. For a few of the dinners we would each bring our own meat, and then each family would contribute a side dish.

5.    Play Family Games—What would a reunion be without games? Have every family bring a game idea to share. This year my family did "Minute to Win It" games. The thing I loved about this was that the older kids were playing with the younger kids. No one felt left out. We also rent a bounce house for one day during the reunion, so people have a variety of options.

6.    Watch Family Movies—During our family reunions each family is responsible for creating a family video. This year we decided to create Vines. At the end of the reunion we held a family movie night and watched everyone's Vine, which put a fun twist on our typical family movie night. Another idea is to compile your pictures from your daily reunion activities and put them into movie maker. Show the movie at the end of every day, so you can bond over the activities you are doing. My family did this for our winter reunions, and it one of the highlights of our day.

7.    Don't Overschedule—Make sure you schedule downtime during your reunion. Everyone loves planned activities, but it can get a little overwhelming at times. I have found that when I am just sitting around with my family, I am able to connect by visiting and then feel closer to them.

8.    Take Lots of Pictures—Documenting your reunion through photographs is important. You can assign out this job, or everyone can take pictures and share at the end of the reunion. This year we came up with a designated hashtag for all our social media. This way we can easily search online for posts, videos, or pictures. We also share photos in our private family Facebook group.

     On my email, I attached photos from this highlighted reunion that Jill posted with this article. Take a peek. We’ve had many other fun reunions as well through the years! Perhaps we could review these great ideas as we are look forward to our big family reunion in Eden, Utah, at Thanksgiving time--2019, for my 80^th birthday. Knowing this family, it’s bound to be loads of fun, wonderful memories to be made, plus great food! (and a big surprise!)

     Jill has gone on to manage large corporate executive accounts in Marketing and has run large and successful social media events. Jill’s navigating her three boys to Eagle Scout has been no small feat! And, Trevor came in just under the wire, earning his Eagle as the Church’s BSA affiliation ended in 2020. And, three of these kids--Hayden, Jessica, and Andrew have gone on or are on full-time Church Missions. She has high priorities in running an efficient home, filling many Church callings, along with lots of other “irons in the fire.” She just completed a 70-mile bike ride! No small feat!

     Jill makes sure she gets it right no matter what! We love you, Jill, as a valued member of our family!  

                                                                Memories of Carol Ann Shepherd, July 2019