Doug & Amanda 8/2/2009

My father's family was large ... there were eleven or maybe twelve siblings. Henry, Donald, Robert, Addison, Nancy, Florence, Jessie, Isabelle, Nora and Dear Lord! I've forgotten the rest. I'll have to dig through a manila envelope to garner the rest of the names or with luck they'll come to me as I write.

As things went so many years ago,my Canadian relatives immigrated here to the North Shore, married, had children, lived long happy (and not so happy) lives and now, we cousins are the three generations of that side of the family left. No longer are there elders to look to for family history or stories ... all have gone on to, well, I hope, Heaven. But maybe there's one or two that didn't quite get that far.

Yesterday I attended the wedding of my second cousin's daughter, Amanda. Diane and I are six months apart in age and so while her mother and aunts were my first cousins, only one remains, Barbara, now in her seventies. Diane and I were close as kids spending many weekends at each others homes and thoroughly enjoying each other until we weren't.

The we weren't part was merely a bump in the road of growing up. A city girl. A country girl. A daring girl. A chicken girl -- Me! Now we see each other infrequently, but always in good cheer -- glad to spend time with one another.

It was nice to see (I mean hear) this rather large contingent of cousins although not all were able to attend. Arthur and Terri live out of state and were not able to make the trip. Unfortunate, that. Still others, may not have been included -- be it budget or personalities, I didn't ask.

But Diane, Donald, Nancy, David, Johnny, Laura, Ramona, Donna, Barbara, Vanessa, Alicia, Joseph, Jacob, Jenniker, Aiden, Catiana, Brittany, and of course, the bride, Amanda were all in attendance. They are so much fun to spend time with!


Did I mention that this group is completely out of control? There is no rounding them up and getting them to stand still, so pictures were done however they could happen.

The groom serenades his bride with a song he wrote for her .... and the bride thanks the groom with a wonderful kiss!