Seriously, My Family is Fun

February 20th, 2010, will forever mark the anniversary of Alyse and Rich Leybovich's wedding day. Alyse is my second cousin. Her father, Glenn, is my first cousin and also my father's doppelganger. The cynic in me told Alyse when I arrived in Philly on Friday that it wasn't too late to back out....I think SOMEONE should let the bride and groom know that it really is okay....but, there was no chance of that happening. They are just too damn cute.

My family is not very big, and we are not very close. Our ages run the gamut, and we live amongst a few states. None of us are particularly good with making plans nor do we really enjoy speaking on the phone, with the exception of my father, Ira, and his big sister, Joyce. Yet, when we spend time together, it does not feel like much time has passed at all. We laugh, joke around, shoot the you know what....This is often what it feels like when I see those good friends who I have known for 25 years or 10 years or 5 years....when you are comfortable, when it's right, it is family.

I seriously had a great time with my aunt and uncle, first, second and third cousins. I think some of them might have gotten annoyed with me, as all of a sudden I was Miss Let Me Ask You Invasive/Borderline Private Questions Girl, but it was really because I am going to try and get to know my family better. Why now? Because I am getting old, because you never know, because I never want to say that I didn't try.

My cousin Isaiah, a mere 8 years old, flew in from Florida with his mom for this big event. After a mere 24 hours, he is now known as the Official Family Photographer, or OFP. He snapped over 150 pics and they look damn good.

On a lighter note, I love my parents to death, but I did need some alone time yesterday. Josh was meeting me on Saturday because he had to work on Friday, so I decided that it was fiscally more sensible to stay in a room with my parents. The hotel, The Rittenhouse, was sick....I DIE! No, I did not sleep in the bed with them. I had my own pull out sofa. Now, despite the fact that I am 34, I was told that I had to turn the tv off (it was turned away from my parents and the volume was on 3) and go to sleep. If I did not want to sleep, I was permitted to keep the bedside lamp on to read. Out of spite, I just went to sleep.

On a final lighter note, before you assume my family is completely wholesome and normal, here is a snippet of Friday evening at the rehearsal dinner....

THE SCENE:

An Italian restaurant. I am seated. My cousin Alyse is behind me with my Aunt Joyce, who is her Nana. Alyse is wearing a fitted, sleeveless dress with a V-neck that would not be considered plunging.
My aunt, her NANA, grabs her and exclaims, "I see your titties!!!"

THE RESULT:

I choked on my own vomit.

My Aunt Joyce did confirm for us today that she is a pervert. While looking at pictures of a stripper from my cousin's friend's bachelorette party, she confirmed that she is not a fan of men with bulging pecs, as they resemble titties.

Seriously, now do you understand where I get it from?