A La Familia

I know you're not supposed to have favorites but I do.  And damn--they live very very far away.  But Annie and Shesh are just about the most wonderful people you've ever met.  They're my cousinsfromIreland (we always say it likes it is one word) so on a gorgeous September Saturday, I got to take a ride down to the Jersey Shore because they're here visiting.

This is where they live.

 I mean really.  Could you just die?  I would never leave.  It's just about the most beautiful place in the world.

So a crowd of us got together yesterday to hang out with them.

The picture's a little blurry but I think you get the picture.  (And yes, for you regular blog readers, that's Lucy the dog in the lower left hand corner.  We were at my cousin's farm and she had a ball.)  (P.S.  I was just proofreading and as I looked at this picture quickly, it looks like we are in Ireland--niiiiice!)

Yes, I said my cousin's farm.  Which always raises the question, which kind of cousin are you?  Now you need to understand, that I have a huge boatload of cousins on my father's side of the family.  Not so many first cousins but when you start stretching it out, it immediately becomes overwhelming.

But guess what?  I know the cousin rules.  I have a chart.  And once you get the chart down pat it's really easy.

So when I got home last night, I pulled out the chart and figured out the relationship.  So my Grandmother (Anne) had a brother named Patrick.  Patrick's daughter is Annie who married Shesh (his real name is Tommy--I have no idea why we call him Shesh) and they have three awesome kids--Mary, Hugh and John.

So Annie is my First Cousin Once Removed and her kids (who I just love) are my Second Cousins.  Poor Shesh--he's just an in-law but we treat him like blood.  Hugh (who I might add I hope is reading this because I don't think he as ever come to visit) got married this year and we watched the video.  It was just lovely.  The bride's family has a lot of great singers so, as a surprise, they all got together and sang them out of the church--so much better than that formal march you always here.

My Second Cousin John joined us for a while via Skype.  That shit is just amazing.

That's Shesh with the computer and my Mom in the pink blouse.  By the way, if I told you how old my Mom is you would never believe me.  Proof that sunscreen and moisturizer are your best friends.


This is my niece BrattyGirl with her Third Cousin.

That cute little muffin is my Second Cousin Once Removed.  Are you following this?  I think I'm obsessed. 

Did you catch the purple converse sneakers on SCOR (I'm going to start calling her Score to go with the acronym--I think it suits her.)

So print out the chart and do your own family.  I'm thinking about taking down the big picture in my dining room, covering the wall with oak tag and doing a family tree.