(no subject)
I've been up since about 7am.
The house is quiet at the moment, Abram and Angelina are still asleep. In a while I need to go finish cleaning the kitchen but for now it's just nice to sit here and enjoy the quiet.
Last night was actually pretty great. The relatives got here and we went out to eat and then back to the hotel and talked until about 10.
There's 4 of them:
(Great Aunt) Pearl - she was married to my (maternal) grandmother's brother, who died back in like, 1985. She's a pistol -- about 70 years old and a retired surgery nurse. Very outspoken, very very devout Christian, ultra conservative. She's pretty much helped raise all of her grandchildren, particularly the youngest granddaughter. I thought for years that she didn't like me (her husband didn't) but every now and then I see signs of affection.
(Cousin) Alex - Pearl's daughter, about oh, 56? She's had an interesting life. As far as people in the family go I think she's seen more than most of us so I find her to be a little more open-minded. I think she has yet to see her best days and I wish she'd write a book. She has 2 grown daughters -- the younger one is married with 2 kids and the older one is a newlywed. The older one, incidentally, is the most sophisticated person I personally know, but not in a snobby kind of way.
(Cousin) Maria - Pearl's other daughter. Former beauty queen turned nurse, she's around 54 or so. Divorced (jerk) husband #1 when her two kids were still children and up and went to nursing school and has made herself a pretty good career. On the way she found husband #2, who is one of my favorite married-into-the-family cousins. I don't think there's anything Maria isn't capable of doing.
(Cousin) Nicole - about 2 years younger than me and a nurse. Definitely my favorite cousin out of my generation. Nobody in the family knows this but she financed our trip to Kentucky in March to see my grandmother -- $200. I normally would have turned down her offer to do that, but a friend pointed out to me "maybe this is God's way of telling you to get out there and see your Granny." She's kind of shy but she'll talk around those she knows. I've never once seen any kind of malice in her, she's just one of those all-around good people.
We sat around and talked about the state of the world and old family stories. I got the story on how Aunt Pearl met my grandmother's brother. My great-grandmother (the one I'm named after) had long, copper colored hair; I never knew that. I told them about how I have a picture of my great-great-great grandmother, a big German lady, sitting with a Bible in her lap.
Family stories never bore me. There is no detail too mundane for me, because once eyewitnesses are dead, those little tidbits are lost forever unless someone writes them down. I'm pretty much the self-appointed family historian.
It's 9. My mother in law will be here at about 11 and we head to the hotel at 11:30. I should get off of here and go get the dishes done and start doing something with my hair.
I feel like I should write something really profound since this is a day 9 years in the making, but like the night I graduated from high school I don't really have anything deep to say. I'm happy I've accomplished something but nervous about what comes next. It's easier to control how college goes than it is how soon I get a job.
Soon it'll be Abram's turn, as he's pretty much decided to go ahead and finish his degree rather than start something new. We'll have to pay out of pocket for his first semester back but I'm OK with that. I think he's ready -- he's watching me graduate and he's seen a boost in my confidence and wants the same thing. (I know it's silly but I really felt bad about myself for not having a degree.) He's stuck with me for the past 2 and a half years, now it's time to return the favor.
The house is quiet at the moment, Abram and Angelina are still asleep. In a while I need to go finish cleaning the kitchen but for now it's just nice to sit here and enjoy the quiet.
Last night was actually pretty great. The relatives got here and we went out to eat and then back to the hotel and talked until about 10.
There's 4 of them:
(Great Aunt) Pearl - she was married to my (maternal) grandmother's brother, who died back in like, 1985. She's a pistol -- about 70 years old and a retired surgery nurse. Very outspoken, very very devout Christian, ultra conservative. She's pretty much helped raise all of her grandchildren, particularly the youngest granddaughter. I thought for years that she didn't like me (her husband didn't) but every now and then I see signs of affection.
(Cousin) Alex - Pearl's daughter, about oh, 56? She's had an interesting life. As far as people in the family go I think she's seen more than most of us so I find her to be a little more open-minded. I think she has yet to see her best days and I wish she'd write a book. She has 2 grown daughters -- the younger one is married with 2 kids and the older one is a newlywed. The older one, incidentally, is the most sophisticated person I personally know, but not in a snobby kind of way.
(Cousin) Maria - Pearl's other daughter. Former beauty queen turned nurse, she's around 54 or so. Divorced (jerk) husband #1 when her two kids were still children and up and went to nursing school and has made herself a pretty good career. On the way she found husband #2, who is one of my favorite married-into-the-family cousins. I don't think there's anything Maria isn't capable of doing.
(Cousin) Nicole - about 2 years younger than me and a nurse. Definitely my favorite cousin out of my generation. Nobody in the family knows this but she financed our trip to Kentucky in March to see my grandmother -- $200. I normally would have turned down her offer to do that, but a friend pointed out to me "maybe this is God's way of telling you to get out there and see your Granny." She's kind of shy but she'll talk around those she knows. I've never once seen any kind of malice in her, she's just one of those all-around good people.
We sat around and talked about the state of the world and old family stories. I got the story on how Aunt Pearl met my grandmother's brother. My great-grandmother (the one I'm named after) had long, copper colored hair; I never knew that. I told them about how I have a picture of my great-great-great grandmother, a big German lady, sitting with a Bible in her lap.
Family stories never bore me. There is no detail too mundane for me, because once eyewitnesses are dead, those little tidbits are lost forever unless someone writes them down. I'm pretty much the self-appointed family historian.
It's 9. My mother in law will be here at about 11 and we head to the hotel at 11:30. I should get off of here and go get the dishes done and start doing something with my hair.
I feel like I should write something really profound since this is a day 9 years in the making, but like the night I graduated from high school I don't really have anything deep to say. I'm happy I've accomplished something but nervous about what comes next. It's easier to control how college goes than it is how soon I get a job.
Soon it'll be Abram's turn, as he's pretty much decided to go ahead and finish his degree rather than start something new. We'll have to pay out of pocket for his first semester back but I'm OK with that. I think he's ready -- he's watching me graduate and he's seen a boost in my confidence and wants the same thing. (I know it's silly but I really felt bad about myself for not having a degree.) He's stuck with me for the past 2 and a half years, now it's time to return the favor.