One last summer hoorah

We’re on the road again. Can you believe it? It feels like we’ve been out of town non-stop this summer. But this is a really special trip and I have to share a few details that explain why this is so important.

First, Uncle Barry is getting married to the coolest woman and mom I know. Her name is Jenn and I’m thrilled to have her in the family even though when she gets hitched, she’ll have the exact same name as me (except spelled slightly differently).

Second, my kids are finally going to have an aunt. An AUNT! They’ve never had an aunt before.

Third and maybe most importantly, the kids are going to have three of the COOLEST cousins. Jenn is the mom of our most favorite 8 and a half-year-old triplets. When we met them a year and a half ago, Jordan and Cameron connected so naturally to the three kids. (Or as Jordan says, “triblets.”) The two girls and one boy are so cool and kind. We couldn’t ask for anything more in the cousin department.

In the short time we’ve known Jenn and the kids, we’ve had some remarkable highs and lows. They joined us on vacation in Maine last year. They helped celebrate my mother and father-in-law’s 50th wedding anniversary. They were also with us when my mother-in-law died earlier this year. Having the kids there to support my kids was really important. I really feel like they are family… an official ceremony is not required.

But it is happening. This Sunday, we’re gathering on a pier in the Outer Banks of North Carolina to celebrate Barry and Jenn. Miss Jordan needs to get all the beauty sleep she can in the car because she is the flower girl one more time this summer. We’re all planning to enjoy beach time, rain or shine. And I expect a lot of kid giggles and fun… Grown up toasts and celebration.

Right now, our family of four is in a car along with my father-in-law and my mother-in-law’s dad who we fondly call, Daddy Junior. It’s a heck of a road trip with an incredible, happy outcome. It’s been a hard year for the family… And I’m so happy we can celebrate something so important for all of us while keeping my mother-in-law in our hearts every step of the way.