Aunties, mostly

You’ve heard that I have a big family, right? My own nuclear unit of 4 is positively pathetic in comparison to the exponentially larger groupings that creep up the trunk of the Flatley family tree. I’ve got Aunties and Uncles and cousins galore, all of whom were a big and important part of my childhood.

When I was a kid, I loved my Aunties and Uncles because they were funny and familiar and fun. It was a pleasure to talk and visit with them, but really their greatest accomplishment, in my eyes, was the effort they had presumably put forth in order to bring my cousins into this world.  Grown ups, whatever, boring. Now that I’m a so-called grown up myself, everything has changed.

I was in Boston for a couple of days before the full Corey contingent arrived, and had the chance to spend some quality time with my mom's siblings in a way that I hadn’t really done before.

I was lucky enough to spend the weekend at Uncle Kevin and Aunt Cheri's beautiful idyllic treehouse on the lake. I spent the first day napping and lounging and chatting with mom and MB and Ann and our lovely hosts, as well as an assortment of munchkins and cousins who came and went. Early that evening, two of mom and Kevin's sisters came over and we enjoyed a pre-dinner lake adventure

down the trail of rocks from rockport

down the dock to the boat

leaving the treehouse behind

hi Mar and Aunt Mary!

hi Uncle Kevin! hi me

Awwwwww

We did a lovely lap while the Assistant Gatekeeper told lies about the fish that swam beneath us, then we retired back to the deck for dinner.

That glorious deck!

More Aunties! Hi Auntie Gin

We had a great time sitting and gabbing and laughing for hours. We talked about past big family gatherings and marveled at the passage of time that had somehow traded all of us into the agegroups of our parents not so long ago. Eventually the mosquitos threatened, then we sprinted inside.

The next day, we girls headed over to Aunt Ginny's house to meet up with yet more Aunties. More gabbing, more laughing, yada yada. It was so fun to be witness to this small band of Flatley women. MB and Ann and I were chagrined to realize that we were outnumbered in sisters! That never happens to Coreys. These sisters are so much like me and my sisters. They give each other shit and compliments in the same breath, they finish each other's sentences and talk over each other. They admire and adore each other so deeply, and they laugh and they laugh and they laugh.

Can't you hear them? 

one quick group smile

then everybody's talking again

I’ll tell you more about my uncles, too. We’ll have to prepare you specifically to hear about my uncles, and it will require a curiously comprehensive cranial effort to gather the spectacularity that is my uncles into words that a mere mortal (non-Flatley) might comprehend.  

But right now I'm so smitten with my Aunties, all gathered together for the formal photo during the formal event. So serious.

check out Aunt Kitty