June 23–26, 2026 | San Diego, California (written by Jared Schauers)
The Barrett Family Reunion this year was held in San Diego from June 23–26, 2026, and it was one of those trips I'll remember for a very long time. We traveled with Heather, McKay, Savanna, our sweet granddaughter Juliette (about 18 months old), and me. Weston flew separately from Bentonville through Denver and arrived in San Diego almost at the exact same time we did.
To make transporting everyone easier, I rented a Chevy Suburban through Turo. It turned out to be the perfect vehicle, easily fitting all of us along with the luggage, stroller, and everything else we needed for the week.
Our first stop after landing was Mission Beach. The morning was cool and overcast, but it was still beautiful. The sand was incredibly soft, and it felt wonderful to finally be at the ocean. McKay, Weston, and I played Frisbee while Heather introduced Juliette to the beach. She absolutely loved splashing in the waves, getting soaked, and but was not a fan of covering herself in sand.
After about an hour and a half everyone was hungry, so we found a little taco shop and enjoyed some delicious Mexican food. Juliette was getting tired by then, so we headed toward the reunion property, stopping at Costco to order the anniversary cake for Alan and Kathy's 50th wedding anniversary and to scout out supplies for our Thursday night dinner assignment.
The reunion was held at Villa Zosaneli, located at 9381 W. Lilac Road, Escondido, California. The property was absolutely incredible. Nestled among the rolling hills of North San Diego County and surrounded by vineyards, orchards, cultivated fields, and palm trees, it felt peaceful and secluded. The venue featured a massive main house with what seemed like a dozen bedrooms and bathrooms, a huge kitchen, spacious gathering areas, and even a piano. Outside was a beautiful pool with plenty of seating, a veranda, and beyond that an impressive wedding venue. Several smaller homes around the property housed the different families. Savanna, McKay, Fiora, Juliette, and Lucy stayed together in one of the cottages. The grounds were beautifully landscaped with colorful flowers, succulents, expansive lawns, covered pavilions, and four pickleball courts that became one of the highlights of the reunion. It was the perfect place for our family to gather, relax, and enjoy being together.
As family members gradually arrived—some from Utah and others after spending time at Disneyland or the California beaches—it was wonderful seeing everyone together again. That evening we shared dinner followed by a family devotional. Kathy sang a beautiful song she had written, and both she and Alan shared heartfelt testimonies. It was a meaningful way to begin the reunion. Most of the adults were exhausted from traveling, but many of the younger family members stayed up late swimming in the pool.
The next morning we enjoyed breakfast burritos before leaving for the San Diego Temple Open House. Kynsie had arranged tickets for everyone, and I was grateful she did. The temple is unlike any other I have 1 visited. Its castle-like architecture is stunning, and walking through its beautiful rooms was a unique experience. It is one of the largest temples in the Church, and there were details inside that I've never seen anywhere else. McKay, Savanna, and Juliette stayed back at the property so Juliette could get a good nap. I understood why they made that decision, but I was disappointed they missed such a special experience.
Afterward we all gathered for lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego where they had reserved a private room for our family. The food was just okay, although it definitely stretched the reunion budget a bit. Following lunch, Heather, Weston, and I visited the Mormon Battalion Historic Site and enjoyed an excellent guided tour. Fiora and Lucy spent the afternoon exploring on their own before everyone eventually returned to the reunion property.
That evening was one of the highlights of the reunion—the family pickleball tournament. Kynsie had created an actual tournament bracket, making it feel like a real competition. Heather and I teamed up and somehow caught fire. We defeated Dexter and Aven in the first round, then Joseph and Rachel, followed by Alan and Kathy, before facing Jesse and Kelsey in the championship match. We won the tournament and even received a trophy. It was such a fun evening, and playing alongside Heather made the victory even sweeter.
Later everyone gathered together, and I surprised Alan and Kathy by playing the AI-generated song I had created about how they met and celebrating their fifty years of marriage. It was rewarding to see how much they enjoyed it. The song seemed to touch everyone, and it became one of my favorite moments of the reunion. It was satisfying to use something I had created with AI to honor them in such a personal way.
That evening, as usual, the younger generation stayed up swimming while several of the adults gathered to play board games. There was plenty of laughter, teasing, and simply enjoying each other's company.
Thursday morning began with another great breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, meats, cheeses, and sandwich fixings prepared by Jesse, Kelsey, Justin, and Kali. Before leaving for the zoo, everyone put on matching purple Barrett Family Reunion T-shirts with everyone's names printed on them. We gathered in front of the pavilion for a large family photo that I'm sure will become one of the treasured keepsakes from the reunion.
Around 11:00 a.m. we arrived at the San Diego Zoo. The weather cooperated, and many of the walkways were shaded by beautiful trees. We saw tigers, elephants, pandas, jaguars, monkeys, orangutans, and many other animals. One of my favorite moments was watching Juliette stand face-to-face with fish through the glass of one of the exhibits. She was completely fascinated. She behaved remarkably well throughout the visit. Savanna seemed to have a more difficult time enjoying the zoo, probably because caring for an active toddler in a crowded place is exhausting. After about three and a half hours we left a little early because our family was responsible for dinner that evening.
We stopped by Costco one more time to pick up the anniversary cake Heather had ordered for Alan and Kathy, along with the ingredients for our famous J-Dogs. Back at Villa Zosaneli we grilled hot dogs and laid out onions, peppers, sauerkraut, relish, ketchup, mustard, and every topping anyone could want. The meal turned out great, and we estimated the amount of food almost perfectly. We hardly wasted anything, which was satisfying considering some of the other meal assignments had purchased far more food than they ended up needing.
That evening everyone gathered for the family talent show. Many of the kids performed musical numbers on the piano, while Justin and Kali assembled what felt like an entire rock band with multiple instruments and performed several songs together. One of the funniest presentations of the evening was a video in the style of "Kid History" episodes. It told the story of Alan and Kathy's courtship through the eyes of the grandchildren. It was creative, clever, and had everyone laughing. Another memorable moment was the comedy skit performed by Karli and Grant. Karli stood behind Grant and became his "arms" while they hilariously attempted to prepare food together. Their performance ended with the presentation of the anniversary cake that Heather had arranged. She had planned it perfectly, cutting just the right number of pieces so every person there was able to enjoy a slice. The talent show reminded me how special the Barrett family really is. There are genuinely talented musicians, performers, and storytellers in the family, but what impresses me even more is that even those who don't consider themselves particularly talented are still willing to get up in front of everyone and participate. They aren't afraid to laugh at themselves or look a little silly, and I admire that. Public performances have never come naturally to me, so I appreciate people who are willing to simply have fun together.
Once again, many of the younger family members stayed up late swimming and visiting. Heather and I headed to bed fairly early. I actually slept surprisingly well throughout the reunion, although Heather didn't sleep quite as well.
Friday morning was checkout day. Many families planned to spend the day at Universal Studios before returning home, so breakfast was simple and mostly grab-and-go, using leftovers from previous meals. Jesse and Kelsey, Grant and Karly, Alan and Kathy, Krystal, Joseph, Rachel, and their families all headed to Universal Studios, as did Jaron and Kynsie. Heather took charge of organizing checkout. She made sure bedrooms were cleaned, towels were gathered, and everyone was packed up. There was still quite a bit of food remaining, and most of it went home with the Carpenters and the Nielsons. We didn't have to leave until 11:00 a.m., so we took our time, enjoyed the property one last time, and made sure everything was left in good condition.
After checking out, our group—Heather, me, Savanna, McKay, Juliette, and Weston—spent some time exploring Balboa Park. We wandered through the beautiful botanical gardens, admired the lily pad ponds, enjoyed the incredible architecture, and visited one of the museums. We could easily have spent more time there.
Fiora and Lucy spent the afternoon exploring one of the beaches on their own. By early afternoon it was time to get Weston to the airport for his flight back to Bentonville. After dropping him off, we had a little extra time before our own flight, so we visited Liberty Station and enjoyed lunch in the food hall. Juliette loved playing on the playground there. It looked like another place that would have been fun to explore more thoroughly.
One thing that worked out especially well was that our Turo host agreed to pick up the Suburban at Liberty Station and drive us directly to the airport. That made returning the vehicle incredibly convenient and saved us from having to shuttle back ourselves. About the same time Fiora and Lucy arrived at the airport, and we all met up before checking into the Chase Sapphire Lounge. It was a wonderful place to relax, enjoy some food and drinks, recharge our phones, and unwind before boarding.
We boarded our flight around 6:45 that evening. Juliette had a couple of little meltdowns during the travel day, but honestly she did remarkably well throughout the entire trip. She is such a curious, energetic little girl that someone was almost always chasing after her to keep her from wandering into the pool, climbing something, or discovering another adventure. She certainly kept all of us busy, but she also brought constant smiles and laughter to everyone around her.
We landed in Salt Lake around 10:30 p.m. After making the drive home, we first dropped off Fiora, then Savanna, McKay, and Juliette before Heather and I finally pulled into our driveway shortly after midnight. It was a long day of traveling, but we were grateful to be home safely. As I look back on the week, I feel incredibly grateful. The Barrett family does a wonderful job organizing these reunions, and they are worth every bit of the effort. We were blessed with safe travel, good health, beautiful weather, and meaningful time together. It was a joy to watch cousins reconnect, siblings laugh together, and another generation begin creating memories of their own.
Family reunions like this remind me that relationships are one of life's greatest blessings. I'm thankful for the love that exists in the Barrett family and for the effort everyone makes to stay connected despite living in different places. Hopefully we'll be able to do it all again in a couple of years.
