Germanos

After a not-so-stellar week, I hosted a luncheon for my Germano cousins. This is the side of my family that my friend Krista likes to compare to the Sopranos. The names alone make her chuckle every time I talk about them. Let's see, we have

Joe
Sylvia
Joey
Joanie
Lindsay
Stacey
Theresa
Joanne
Ruthie
Noreen...

Then we have the off-shoots, the Murones

Johnnie
Carol
Bonnie
Carleen

So, anyway, we all know the Mafia doesn't exist...

This past weekend my cousin from Colorado came to the East Coast for a family visit. We haven't seen her since our grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary extravaganza about 6 or 7 years ago. Since then she has been busy saving Sea Turtles and studying the Barrier Reef off of the Australian Coast (she is a Marine Biologist). Soon after leaving here she will be off to Equador, Galapagos and Brazil.....cool.

It was so much fun to see my crazy cousins all together in my new house. Luckily for Ernie he was in the city playing a matinee. If anyone has been around me, especially when having a conversation with my mother, multiply the volume factor by 11 and you will understand what it is like to have any more than 3 cousins in the room at the same time. Sometimes it is even difficult for me to bear.

The family vibe got my head in a better place about the whole getting laid off while pregnant with twins thing. A little perspective goes a long way. And besides, maybe I'll put in call to Uncle Joey.....he, he, he