Family

My brother is visiting this week.

I love my family.  All of them.  I had the best childhood I think anyone could imagine.  My parents were probably as perfect as parents today can possibly be.  As evidence, let me point out that my folks raised four boys, the youngest of which is merely 5 years younger than the oldest.  Then, as soon as their youngest graduated high school and prepared to move out, they left their entire life behind in Iowa to move to California in order to continue being parents to foster boys.  To date, they have parented something like 14 boys... and they've done impossibly amazing things with all of them.  My brothers have always been the best friends a guy could ask for.  When I was young and we would visit or be visited by mom's family from California, I wondered how in the world a family could end up living so far away from each other.  Now I know.  I miss them all.  All the time.  If time and money were of no consequence, I would choose to hang out with my family every weekend (or close to it).  As it is, I don't get to see them nearly enough... but when I do it's great.  Jase has been here since Sunday.  Even though my wife and I have work and class for about five hours every day, he hasn't yet complained about being bored.  He doesn't even seem bummed about anything (yet).

Mom is flying in late tonight.  We thought she was going to get to bring her youngest foster boy, but she is unable to.  That's okay, though, because my mom is the greatest person in the world.  I'm looking forward to her arrival, even though she's only going to be here for about 30 hours.

So anywho... I just wanted to write a little tribute shout out to my family.  They're fantastic.