Yesterday at work, I was talking with a couple people about my upcoming weekend (starting today!!), Gentle Man overheard me and asked, "Wait. WHAT are you doing?"
"I'm spending the weekend with my seven aunts and the oldest of the girl cousins."
"You have SEVEN aunts?"
I thought I'd told him the litany before, but apparently not, "Yeah. My Mom was the oldest of ten kids. There was her, then one boy, then eight girls. I have 26 first cousins."
He looked shocked, "My family is so small, I can't even imagine something like that. Your poor uncle!"
My turn to be shocked. I really hadn't told him the litany since that was a phrase I'd never heard nor imagined. I tilted my head and mused, "Hmm... not a phrase I'd use. He was a sociopath who abused everyone in the family. My Mom worked hard to protect me from him, so he's more of a theory to me than an actual person, but I don't think he is the one who needs the sympathy."
As a result of that intense family life, my aunts are some of the strongest, most vibrant people I know. We've rented a beach house north of San Francisco where we'll hang out, cook, talk, laugh, play games and tease each other for the next five days. My sister and five of our fabulous cousins are coming as well.
Their all en route as I write. I'm off to rent (and learn to drive) a 12-passenger van. Picture us all stuffed in there and attempting to survive Route 1 (think of all those car commercials with the cliffs and the ocean and the hair-pin curves).
See ya on the other side!
11 comments:
That sounds like so much fun! Have a blast.
I didn't know about your uncle either. That is a pretty big family. I have three aunts and two uncles from my dad's side (mom's side, I don't really know) and they're all a bit crazy in the head, including my dad. Only one aunt, I consider pretty sane. One uncle is sane-ish. =)
Anyway, sounds like fun. You're brave to drive a 12 passanger van on the 1. =)
That sounds like so much fun! Enjoy!
I'd love to see images of your weekend especially all of you in the big van.
Sorry about the uncle ... glad you were protected.
Woohoo! Have fun woman:)
By now you're already at the reunion site -- and maybe you'll have arrived home before you read this.
But, do take special care when driving the 12 passenger van. They have a high center of gravity and turn over more readily than cars. Remember, if you're going sixty and you closely pass an 18-wheeler going 60, there's a 120-mile per hour tornado between you.
Another example: Most insurance companies no longer will insure 15-passenger vans. Why? Insurance companies want to insure risks, not
certainties.
Blessings on your gathering and a safe trip back.
Wow. Did the uncle ever get held accountable? I have a second cousin like that that I avoid like the plague. My dad never knew why I hated his cousin as a kid until my mom spoke up.
As for the aunts, that sounds like fun. And when you mentioned all your first cousins, suddenly I was transported to a scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding where she's telling the guy she likes about how many first cousins she has. Somehow imagining that with the whole Korean part of your marriage thrown in was pretty doggone interesting.
I quote: "Their all en route as I write."
You were bugged when my Dad corrected the spelling and grammar in your letters. And really, when just writing to family and friends, you shouldn't have to worry about trivialities like spelling and grammar. Right?
No, that's not the right way to write. If we curry bad habits in our informal writing, they'll tend to persist in our professional work. And there, we will be judged. Sometimes, with the loss of major contracts.
So, please no confusion of their, they're, there and Thier (19th century French minister of finance).
God, I love you Dad. And I concur.
Now I know why I do not blog. She did a great job of driving, parking, and pass in the van. It was a great time. jj
what a great driver!reh
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