A Family Dinner

Since I was spending the night at my aunt and uncle's house on Monday, it was the perfect time to invite my other aunt and uncle over for dinner. Two of their three boys came along, which was great. I think the last time I saw them was at my wedding--almost 15 years ago. So there we were: my mom's two brothers, their wives, me, and two of my cousins. We held hands while my cousin Daniel said the blessing. The roasted vegetables and tender shredded beef rivaled any restaurant, anywhere! I think my boys would have liked to see the way my uncles passed the dinner rolls from one end of the table to the other. (Uncle Rick made a great throw, and Uncle Wally made a great catch!)

My mom's family is geographically split in half. Her two brothers moved to San Diego upon graduating from college. My mom and her sister remained in Illinois. This means I grew up living a very different life when compared to my California cousins. They are California boys, through and through. I am definitely a Midwestern girl. But as we spent time together Monday night, all I could think about was this--we are family.

Daniel pointed out that I am the oldest grandchild, he is exactly in the middle, and Josh is the youngest. That is something I would normally pick up on, but he beat me to it. :) What a perfect representation of our family! I said my grandma would have liked to see us together, and somebody else said, "Oh, she's seeing it!"

Aunt Beth & Uncle Wally; Uncle Rick & Aunt Jody

Josh--my baby cousin, and Daniel--my middle cousin.
I'm older, but definitely not bigger. :)

A close-up for my mom

That night San Diego experienced a hailstorm, which is not a common occurrence. I like to think I brought it with me, since we get plenty of hailstorms where I'm from. My California family watched with fascination as the hailstones fell, and again, all I could think about was this--we are family!