So, James and I headed up to Bremerton, Washington to attend his grandmother's memorial service. It was a beautiful service and I feel like I really got to know his grandmother, even though I'd only met her twice.

For those of you who don't know me well, I have few cousins. On my Mom's side, I have seven first cousins, all female. If I ran into them on the street I bet only four of them would recognize me. (I know this, because one of them actually introduced herself to me before. In college. I'm not naming names.) On my Dad's side I think I have two - again, both girls, but don't ask me names. I've never met them before, and I've only met my Uncle Dennis once. (I've heard it's probably better that way.) Anyway, since I only have female cousins that I hardly spend time with, the idea of male cousins seems foreign to me. A lot of James' cousins are guys, and a lot of them are around our age. I kept thinking, "which one of their wives is James' cousin?" Also, keep in mind that James doesn't look a lot like his family, so I can't rely on THAT comparison. So, I studied a cheat sheet in the car ride up, doing my best to remember names. I think I did pretty well!

Even though it was a sad occasion, I had a wonderful time getting to know many of his cousins and aunts and uncles that I previously hadn't met. I really enjoyed spending time with people who adore James almost as much as I do, and it's no wonder that he is as fond of his family as he is. Really, there's a lot of love in the Wright family... and it was so nice to feel like a part of that. His cousins and aunts and uncles embrace me as their own, but not in an awkward cultish kind of way - they are real people with genuine hearts, and I'm so grateful that I'm a part of that!

In other news, I've been spending some quality time watching CMT. That's "Country Music Television," for all them fancy folks out there. No, it's not because I've developed a strange obsession with Brad Paisley or something. Or even Kid Rock. (I am NOT making that up, Kid Rock has a video getting airtime on CMT. Parallel universe?) CMT now airs Nanny 911, a show where proper English nannies (one is Welsh, though) sweep in, spend a week with a horrifically disfunctional family, and try to minimize their problems. It's always the parent's fault, of course, and it raises my blood pressure every time I watch that show, but I can't turn away! And usually one of the parents does a really great job, and the other one is totally clueless and gives in to their kids' every whim, and all hell breaks loose. Then Nanny establishes rules and the parents are always SO SURPRISED when little Johnny responds to them. "Golly-gee, Molly Sue fell asleep when we turned the tv off in her room and made her sleep in her own bed! Imagine that!" It gives me hope that I'd be a good parent, 'cause I'm pretty sure this teaching gig is hammering in the basics.