An Embarrassing revelation and a Cool Visit

It's kind of embarrassing to admit that I hadn't seen some of my relatives in as long as it's been, but it's true.

In fact, one cousin, Jeff, the creator of the "project cottage" (who has also recently become "the oldest person on facebook") is one such relative. The last time I'd seen him, his daughter was a very well-behaved 10 year old. Now she's a (just as well-behaved, I'm sure) college sophomore.

That's the background info.

Anyway, this weekend, we decided to make a trip north. As I mentioned before, my grandmother has been seeing an angel lately, and we know she's nearing the end of this particular part of her life. We really wanted to go visit her before she died.

We originally were going to go as part of our yearly trip to Michigan, but unfortunately, the week we could get the "cottage" happened to be the same week that Tara was playing in the Lancaster Festival. We were so disappointed, mostly because that's a great time we get to spend with Tara's family, but also because we were hoping to see Granny on the way back.

So we planned out a trip - it worked out really well because two of Tara's cousins are pregnant and they planned a baby shower for them this past Saturday in Chicago. That made South Bend a very convenient stop! This way I could bring the boys there and we could stay overnight while Tara went on to Chicago.

Although we didn't plan for a family reunion, that's kind of what happened. While Tara was seeing all of her family (or, at least all of the women in her family), almost everyone showed up at my Aunt's house!

First of all, Jeff (of the project cottage) came by with his family. When I was a kid, I was scared of him; he was enough bigger than me (and 3 years older) that when he made a threat, I was sure he would follow through (come to think of it, I can't remember him ever laying a hand on me; I guess he didn't need to). That coupled with my brother's mind control techniques made me quiver in fear like a fearful-quivery-scared-guy-thingy. Anyway, he's grown up and isn't scary anymore (unless you're his daughter's potential boyfriend, in which case I'm sure he would play the scary card again). In fact, it was great to see him.

Then the parade continued as my parents, my brother-in-law, and my two nephews all showed up. It was a loud, fun madhouse - poor Grandma was overstimulated! It was a great visit, and I've vowed not to let another 8 years go by without seeing that part of the family.