Hunter's Family Tree
- sarahwilk24
- Dec 23, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 11
Mom: Kristy
460 pieces | Mini Block: 92265
Assembled by Mike Alfare, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 1 / 5 (interaction with the set is discouraged because pieces may break off)
Sarah first met Hunter's parents, who live in the same house where he grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi, when they came to Virginia for Christmas 2023. Sarah and Hunter had been dating for almost two years by then and were engaged, so it was a long-overdue meeting. Kristy is a very sweet and caring mother, and she always hand-sews some of their gifts for them at Christmastime. Hunter and Sarah keep their eye out for cute hummingbird trinkets anytime they're out and about, as it's become a bit of a tradition to gift them to her. They are her favorite bird, after all.
Dad: Roy
610 pieces | USA Blocks: MOC-1119
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, September 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
Hunter's dad, Roy, has always been a fan of fishing, whether on the shore or from a boat. There are few places he would rather be than with a rod in his hand. He doesn't have a boat like the one pictured, though he does have one similar to a bass boat (not easy to find in brick form). As a child, Hunter would often fish with his dad and granddaddy, also named Roy (but who went by Frank). If the couple had found a brick version of focaccia bread, that would have been their choice of set to represent Roy. In his retirement, he has become quite the cook, and his specialty, which he prepared for everyone during their holiday visit to Virginia, is homemade focaccia bread.
Sister: Rachel
150 pieces | LEGO: 6550806 (retired)
Assembled by Andrew Deese, March 2025
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
The couple had only been dating for a month when they visited the lake house (which would later become their wedding venue!) From the moment Sarah met Hunter's sister, Rachel, they clicked. Rachel agrees, since she told Hunter when Sarah slipped away to the bathroom, "I'm keeping her," even if it didn't work out between them. Rachel is a woman of many talents. She has an impressive career as a chemist, is a wonderful mom to their nephew, and somehow finds the time to excel at many hobbies, including baking. Rachel designed the couple's wedding cake (which is downstairs on the dessert table) and volunteers to bake elaborate birthday cakes for children in foster care. Each year at Christmastime, Rachel bakes and decorates an amazing themed gingerbread house (we're talking the literal Hogwarts of gingerbread here), which is why the couple chose a gingerbread house to represent her.
Brother: Steve
162 pieces | Unbranded
Assembled by Mike Alfare, February 2025
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
Rachel married her husband, Steve, before Sarah was in Hunter's life. This saddens Sarah a bit because it means that she missed Hunter's debut as a wedding officiant. (Yes, you read that right; his sister, who knows him well, trusted this goofball to officiate her wedding. And then other people after that also trusted him, as he's done three weddings in total.) Steve is a jovial and ambitious family man who has a PhD in physical chemistry and just graduated with his MBA in the Spring of 2024. He loves to take his son, Andrew, to hockey games. He's also a big fan of craft brews, which is why the couple chose the foamy amber-hued brick beer to represent him. Makes you thirsty for a cold one just looking at it!
Nephew: Andrew
Banana Keychain: 1 piece | Unbranded: RD445412
Dachshund: 148 pieces | Unbranded: ZP719
Assembled by Mike Alfare, February 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
There's so much the couple could say about their sweet, mischievous nephew, Andrew, but he features in many of their stories in the Adventures exhibit, so they'll try to keep it brief. They chose the banana minifigure keychain to represent Andrew because ever since their first Christmas together in 2022, when Sarah and Hunter cracked the silly idea of wrapping a banana under the tree as one of Andrew's Christmas presents after Andrew kept repeating the word to be funny, banana jokes have been a mainstay of their visits together. Andrew eventually started calling Hunter "Uncle Banana," and they even have special banana-shaped swords they play-fight with. The Dachshund represents The Dog of Wisdom, which is a meme from the early 2000s that Hunter's brother, Dustin, introduced to Andrew (to Rachel's chagrin, since the Dog of Wisdom makes annoying noises), and that Hunter likes to reboot every time he sees his nephew by making said noises (again, to Rachel's chagrin).
Cat Nieces: Missy & Kitty
99 pieces | Bing Bricks: LC0024
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, December 2024
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
No representation of Hunter's close family (those he can see on a semi-regular basis anyway), without giving a nod to Andrew's beloved cats, Missy and Kitty. Missy is an elderly and plump tortie who is sweet as can be and adores Andrew (ever since he was a baby, she has preferred to sleep as close to him as possible). Kitty is a temperamental calico who enjoys being petted, but only when she wants it and for as long as she wants it. When she's done with you, she lets you know (with her claws). They don't have a fish tank, but the cat tree set came with it, and the couple is leaving the door open for potential family growth.
Bearded Dragon Nephew: Lula
34 pieces | JIE STAR: S-59216
Assembled by Mike Alfare, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
Lula is the stoic bearded dragon that lives in a large tank in the basement of Andrew's home. They gotta be honest: she doesn't do much but sit around and occasionally eat some bugs. But the couple accepts all members of the family and doesn't want to leave Lula out. Steve has had Lula for a long time, and bearded dragons live to be pretty old. So Lula keeps hanging out. Her favorite snack is dandelions.
Brother: Dustin
59 pieces | Unbranded: A022
Assembled by Mike Alfare, February 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
Hunter's brother, Dustin, is older than he is by 364 days. Dustin was born on December 14, 1993, and Hunter was born on December 13, 1994. Sarah feels a little sorry for their mom, Kristy, because they were a handful! Dustin lives in Mississippi, not too far from where their parents live, and visited Virginia in October 2024. That was the first time Sarah met Dustin, whom she'd describe as kind, funny, and just as nerdy as Hunter (but taller and lankier). He has many interests, but the first picture Sarah ever saw of him was his Facebook profile photo, which was a very artsy shot of him leaning over a pool cue about to take a shot. So the pool table is what they chose to represent him (and Hunter thinks it's funny that he's listed below the bearded dragon, which Sarah would like to point out wasn't intentional; they were organizing by household and sibling age).
