The Fun of Family

So let's talk about how much I sincerely enjoy my family. There is an instant friendship with all cousins, aunt, uncles - you name it - we just are a bonded group that enjoys each other. This is due in a large part to the fact that we try to meet together annually. This is a tough feat to pull off but worthwhile. Because of the efforts of my family, I can go to most cities in the Western Hemisphere and visit a family member.

In fact, I remember going to Israel in 2000 and having my mom email and remind me that my cousin Irene was in Haifa with her husband. We never met up but not for a lack of trying - our schedules just didn't permit the time.

So last night was a fun surprise. Darren and I were getting ready for bed on Sunday night and we hear a knock at the door at 10pm. Thinking to myself - who on earth can that be?, I open the door to see my cousin JB standing on my porch! I just starting laughing. I haven't seen in him about 3 years - and now he is the father to 2 children. Santa Vaca! So he came in and we chatted for about 45 minutes. Turns out he was visiting a friend that happens to live in my apartment complex and they mentioned I live around the corner and he decided to pop in for a visit and catch me up on the Jack Brown family news . It was a pleasant surprise and there was no worries about how messy things are or the fact that I am in sweats and ugg boots. Come on, it's family. Seeing how I often drop in unannounced on various family members, I sure hope they like the surprise as much as I do!

Picture from the 2005 Brown Family Reunion. This picture shows about 1/8th of the attendees.