Family Weekend

This past weekend we went to Long Island to see family we hadn't seen in far too long for the Kangas Family Reunion. Also, as many of you know my brother was very sick last year so we had not seen him or Joe since Thanksgiving. We try to get down to NY a few times a year but with Erik not feeling well, our plans were put on hold. I'm beyond grateful to say that he is doing really well and feeling so much better, and really loving and enjoying life.

We got to New York early Saturday morning and headed to my Uncle Gerry and Aunt Joy's house around 1pm for the family reunion. I started the family reunion event 3 years ago when my Uncle Tim unexpectedly passed away. It got me thinking about how we are not a close knit family- and how lucky we are that Nicholas knows what a close knit family is as I am close with my parents and siblings, and Nick's parents and siblings as well. My Dad came from a large family, he is 1 of 9, and we are spread out all over the place. Two of my Dad's brother's have passed away but with the wonderful creation of the internet, it really is not that hard to stay connected. I was lucky enough a few years ago to find my cousin's Destiny and Dylan, who up until a few years ago when we started the reunion, I do not ever remember meeting (and if I did we were very very young).

Anyway- it was a bit of a small group this year. The first two years I was very stressed out and upset/let down when people did not want to come or backed out at the last minute. This year, I stopped feeling that way and knew that the people that really wanted to/could come, would. We had a great time with our group and it was so nice to be together, kick back, eat some delicious food, and relax. My brother's wife and cousin's wife are both pregnant, so it was great to see them looking beyond adorable. I'm very excited to think that next year we will have to little baby boys at the reunion, and hopefully the tradition will continue for many years to come. A major thank you also needs to go to my Uncle Gerry and Aunt Joy for hosting- they have a wonderful home and made a point to make sure we had a good time, and we did!

Years ago, my Dad made a real effort to reconnect with his family, and that made me so happy. All but one of my Dad's (living) siblings came to mine and Nick's wedding- I know they love me, but I know they really came for my Dad and that meant the world to me. We've got pictures of them all together that I will cherish forever.

Although we may not all get along all the time, family is a wonderful thing to have. I am very lucky to have some pretty great people in my family.

On another note- we stayed with Erik and Joe this weekend and Nicholas really loved spending time with Joe. It made my heart so happy to know that Nicholas knows and loves his "Uncle Erik and Uncle Doe." It was truly the most wonderful thing to see and be a part of. My heart is so full.

I didn't take too many pictures (shocker, I know), but here are some from the weekend.