Family Gatherings

I found this on another blog of mine that I presumed Dead the other day, but I liked this little bit so much that I wanted to save it. Originally published 4/7/06.
------

Ah, the Fourth of July... one of the three or four times a year when semi-extended family invades my house. Mom is always flustered about getting the house ready, and normally my sister and I grow tired of hearing her shout, "Come BACK, girls!" from down the hall, so we stick near the living room where she can find us.

If Dad's family is coming, Grandmama beats everyone else to our house by twenty minutes or more. She's not a normal grandmother... she's more like the kind of old lady you find in a bar, caterwauling Irish drinking songs with the drunk, burly men and showing them pictures of her grandchildren between shots of tequila. However, as she is a devout Christian, she must vent her eccentric nature through other activities. Like dominoes.

My family loves dominoes, but it's not so much the game that we enjoy. It's the fellowship, the laughter, and the running jokes that begin from off the cuff comments from one Uncle to another. Someone always manages to land in the "Oh, Is It My Turn?" chair, and it's usually Aunt Kathy, Grandmama, or Aunt Karen. Jokes fly, laughter echoes through the house, and everyone generally has a good time. I even manage to have fun when the magaritas come out -- after the drinks are served, I find that I can sit back and gather wonderful blackmail with a smug grin on my face.

The festivities continue on throughout the afternoon, but I often find myself in the TV room watching an old Disney movie or two and, if word got out too far, I would be laughed at. But I don't mind. I even get my own magarita now that I'm (almost) eighteen. Hmm... Disney movies and magaritas. Not exactly the most traditional combination, but it somehow works.

And now, as I finish this post, I can hear that Aunt Kathy is singing (if by singing I mean making a musical attempt) , Grandmama's joking about being pulled over for drunk driving, and from the sounds of Aunt Kathy's song, Dad must've won the dominoes game.

I rather do enjoy family gatherings.
------

Today's Song: "Baby I Don't Cry Over You" by Billie Holiday
Today's Obsessions: Mystery Science Theater 3000, Alexandre Dumas, iTunes
Today's Quote: "I am such a geek... I know what DNA stands for, but I forget where penguins live!"