~ Love is in the air ~

Saturday, May 21, 2005 at 1:00 p.m.

McLean, Virginia

My cousin, MY IDENTICAL COUSIN ALL THE WAY ... (our favorite song we sing to each other), is getting married!!! This is exciting news in our family - he (MIKE) is the last of my aunt's 4 boys to take the plunge ... and he's only 43! :) I was beginning to get a little worried about him, but to my extreme delight he found a nice little thing and is settling down into married life. I asked him what makes her so special and he confided in me that she has nice breasts. How male of him ... and I'm not surprised. I'm quite certain there's more to her than a nice set of hooters.

Aside from the above comment, my cousin is a wonderful man, although a bit of a slob - I roomed with him for a bit so I can say that! He is the second oldest of my aunt's four children. He struggled for many years with a horrible drug problem and was in and out of rehabilitation facilities for years. His early 20's and 30's were hard for everyone who loves him because he was hell bent on destroying himself. During his "bad boy" years all of his brothers got married, had children, and lead successful happy lives. I think it was always hard for him to realize he'd been "left behind." Mike finally entered rehab for the last time about 5 years ago and he made the decision to get clean and live the next part of his life healthy and happy. I am proud to report he has been substance free for the past 5 years and counting. He's finally gotten rid of those demons that haunted him for so long.

All the nieces, nephews, second and third cousins, and any other little kid who happens to be around, loves him to pieces. He's F*U*N!! He comes up with wierd games at the beach like cake face and noodle pants - games that sound hideous until you hear the kids laughing hysterically on the deck. He has designated Wed. as "kite day" during our family beach week trip - and he is always the first one to remember a story about us "older" kids when we were little. Many of his sentences begin with "I remember when ..." Mike has always wanted to get married and start a family - but it seemed his options (and choice of places to find these options) were scarce. Then, one day last fall, I received a phone call. Mike had met someone, she was perfect for him, and a wedding was being planned. I almost broke into tears of joy (and relief) when I received the news. That leads us up to this weekend.

Mike is special to me because he, out of so many, deserves some happiness in life. Not to mention a chance to have what others around him take for granted. He has kicked a major drug addiction. He has paid his debts to society. He is healthy, active in his community, and generous to a fault. He is going to be a wonderful husband (although, did I mention he's a bit of a slob?) and great dad. I'm thrilled that he is about to embark on the adventure of his life. I'm looking forward to meeting his bride (just need to set her straight on a few things) and celebrating their big day with them. I'm also excited about spending a weekend with my wild wacky family. This weekend will surely be fun, frustrating, chaotic, and hilarious. Our family is nuts - a family worthy of writing about one day.

So, until next week ... everyone enjoy your weekend. Be sure to take some time out of your busy schedule to do something for yourself. Remember to tell that someone special how much you love them.

~ciao