Me and my cousins Lisa and Lora

This weekend I took the family down to Southern California to visit family. This is family on my mom’s side that I haven’t seen in over 20 years.

It’s a shame that we let that much time pass. However when I was a kid we moved a lot. I went to 8 different schools growing up. And so our family ties were broken early on. Not much a kid can do about that.

I never really thought much of it to be honest. When you grow up a certain way you think that’s the way everyone’s family is. But after I got married I realized it’s not. Michelle’s family is very close. And so as I grow older I’m really wanting to reconnect to those early childhood memories of my family and so we’ve made several trips to L.A. (where most of the family is) to catch up.

This particular trip was really nice because even though we’ve not been close to either side of the family, my mom’s side of the family was pretty much forgotten altogether after I was 6 or 7. I’d only seen them maybe once since then and I was a bit apprehensive about going down at first. People can change a lot in that amount of time and I found myself wondering if they’d even like who I’d become.

It was a great visit however. It’s funny how quickly you can reconnect with family. Even though we’ve built entire lifetimes of separate memories, it’s those few that we share that forever binds family together. Honestly, it was like I was a kid again and nothing had changed. We enjoyed each others company, laughed and reminisced over old times, and even got to go to church and worship together. It was an outstanding weekend.

I’m going to make it a point to keep pushing to reconnect with my family. There’s a lot of broken ties that need to be mended, but so far it’s always been worth it.

here’s some more pics from our little reunion.

https://picasaweb.google.com/danapellerin/SoCalVisitWithFamily

So this is how it goes when Michelle travels. The first few days are fine just because there’s a difference in routine. It’s kind of a little break where I can have more control over my day. You know how it goes; more people around means more people to care for. So with one less person around there’s a little time where I get to be more selfish. The TV stays off, I do more reading, I can do gross guy things without any negative repercussions.

Then about late into day 2 or early into day 3, it hits. I’m alone man! There’s nobody to talk to! I hear every single noise in the house and my warm home turns into what feels like a morgue . Honestly, I don’t know how my single friends do it. If I was single, I’d probably be one of those guys that is a “regular” at the corner bar and every time I walk in everyone yells “Dana!”, then I shoot back a clever quip before settling in on my bottomless mug. Or maybe I’d be the guy who sits in Starbucks for hours at a time with my laptop, “working”.

I mean, now I know why old ladies have cats. I guess for women there’s a certain allure to have something alive and hairy share your home. I suppose that’s why they keep us guys around. Though for me, I think I’d rather be alone than share my space with anything non-human…. or non-female for that matter. Unless she’s hairy… then I’d rather be alone again. Funny how we prioritize isn’t it?

Anyway, the house is not a total prison cell right now, my daughter is home and that helps. Although hanging with a teenage kid is pretty much a one way street. They don’t want to hear anything you have to say, and they won’t eat or clean themselves unless you’re there to force the issue. So at least I think I’m going to stay fairly busy, which is probably a good thing.

And now I can kind of relate to my bros who are into golf. Bowling, like golf, is a sport that anyone can play, and everyone sucks at. So there’s really no pressure. It’s really about hanging out with folks. But what’s better about bowling, is that chicks play with the guys! So instead of sitting in a field with a bunch of crickety old, foul mouthed, hairy businessmen, I get to hang out at the bowling alley with my girls! Can’t beat that, yo!

So this has become a family thing now. We’re ordering custom bowling balls as I speak… er…. type… I’ll be bowling a 250 by Christmas!