hanging out with the clan

so i have a large family. very large family. my brother is the fifth of a family of eight children. most of the brothers and sisters have had at least two children. needless to say, i grew up with lots of cousins.

a fond memory is of our "band", aptly named the "third generation". my brother and i had matching red leather jackets and i recall lipsyncing along to thriller and other jackson hits. it was a good time and probably the last time in the past twenty years that all of us have hung out together. as with many asian families, there have been moments of drama, conflict between siblings, etc. we've all grown up and sadly apart: some have married and have children *the fourth generation*, gotten jobs, some have moved away and others moved back to the good ol VA. but recent tragedy (the death of my grandfather) have seem to brought everyone close together.

last night, after the funeral, we all made plans to meet up at the rivah cafe in yorktown beach. our clan literally took over the bar. over martini's, sambucca, wine, and good crabdip, we laughed, talked, and caught up on each others' lives. it was really a wonderful time and i hope that it is the beginning of closer family ties.