Mother's Day Visit

On Mother's day I managed to drive from Detriot metro (stayed the weekend :P) to Chicago to meet my cousin Tom and his family. This is the first time I am meeting these people since it has been 30 years since I hung out with Tom. It was as though 30 years wasn't between us. We reflected on the teenage stuff we did e.g. getting drunk at my oldest brother's wedding at 14 years old. Good times when there are open bottles of wine on all the tables. I had my appendix out 3 weeks before that and I was part of the wedding party. If I couldn't dance, I wanted to have a good time - that was the first time I got drunk. We also reminisced about when I visited their family parties and all the family dynamics that went with the scenes. I found out that my second cousin Alexa who is 15 is truly a terrific figure skater and going into sectional/regional championships. Aliva teaches ballet at the same rink that Alexa skates at daily and their oldest brother Derek is a star employee/supervisor at UPS. Tina, Toms' wife is a blast to talk with - very open and nuts just like me ;) Haveing two big meals out with them gave me a stomache ache but it was worth the trouble!



Tina, Tom, Alivia, Alexa, (big blob!) and Derek



Car scene - Tina, Alexa and Alivia



Boys of summer - Tom and Derek