Family Reunion Time

I had a great time at the family reunion on Sunday. There were only two mishaps (I walked into a glass table and managed to break the figure on it, and my cousin Steve lost his car keys for awhile so there was a general hunt for them.)

I saw family I hadn't seen since my grandfather's funeral (six years! ago), and it's the first time we've all been in one place in about twenty five years. I also met some family members I'd never met before. We all met at my cousin Buddy's farm near Perryvile. Among the attendees: My mom, John, and John's son Robert, my grandmother, my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Terry, their kids Craig and Steve, plus Craig's wife Lisa Ruth and children Ally and Ethan, my Uncle Ed and Aunt Sharon, their children Jan and David, Jan's daughter Emma, David's wife Tammy and children Alex, Ryan, and Jacob. Funny how there were five of us cousins, two girls and three boys, and the great-grandchildren are also numbered five--two girls and three boys. There's only two of us who haven't reproduced--Steve and I--and while I suppose there's hope for Steve, (who's only thirty, an engineer, and quite available for those girls down there in Mississippi) I'm starting to lose hope. Still, that's okay.

The kids loved Buddy's pool and water slide, and were entranced by the four-wheel ATVs. Buddy and the guys took turns giving them rides. Since I work in a hospital that takes care of kids injured by ATVs, I sort of held my breath, but they were careful and everything worked out okay. Buddy also has Belgian draft horses, which I didn't get to see but sounded lovely.

We ate way much (and I've eaten leftovers for two days now). Man, the Craig family takes potlucks seriously, as you can see by our number of hefty adults (something I'm still not used to--I was always the one fat kid in the bunch, and my cousins, while not all fat per se, are fairly stout. One of my grandomother's cousins had had bariatric surgery, although I didn't realise it until someone mentioned it after he'd left, or else I would have questioned him about it, and got a personal perspective. Buddy's been going to Weight Watchers and doing really well, and when I mentioned I needed to lose weight he shared a little of his experiences there. It's something to think about.

I have to admit at first I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people and despite their being relatives my social anxiety kicked in. I was especially nervous around the kids, just as I am at work. I don't know why they scare me a little, I suppose because they're so vulnerable and my own experiences have left me a little scarred about my own childhood. I just don't have an easy manner around kids, something I wish would change but I expect it comes with more exposure. Despite working in a children's hospital, up to this point I didn't really do much interacting with the kids. Now I'm expected to do storytimes and a library cart, and although I think the ideas are great, I'm not sure I'm the best person to do it. Anyway, once I talked with my Aunt Sharon Sue (there are two Aunt Sharons, as you can see above) and with various cousins, I felt better.

I did feel rather flat in my affect, and that may be the lamictal. My mom said that when she called the other day to check and see if I could come I didn't sound like myself. We'll see how this medicine works.

Well, that's the update. Otherwise I just worked during the weekend without too much excitement. That's all for now. Take care.