Family Surprises and the Fourth of July

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, and I'm taking a break from my blog for a day to sleep in and have a nice day with DH, rain (unfortunately), and my computer. All in all, my plan is relaxing because I need/want it. I hope all of you will have the opportunity to spend your holiday with friends and loved ones. So here's the surprise for my day. 

Yes, I have a landline phone. I do most everything
on my cell phone, but there are things about a land
line that are good, and times when it's been
a life saver. 

Last night I received a phone call on my land line. (Yes, I still have a land line as well as my cell phone. I have my reasons, even if it is a silly expense.) I was popping in and out of that room, so let it switch over to voice mail. I finally had a chance to listen to it an hour or two later. It was a blast from the past and caught me a bit off-guard (in a good way). 

A bit of backstory: I've never been fully engaged with my family roots - I rarely met relatives of my parents except for those living close, and they rarely discussed distant family members. I know more about my father's side of the family because of a single, involved, family member who founded "Alexander's Children" which now has family reunions every five years. I know little about Mom's side of the family. Mom didn't talk about her family much, although she did travel to the East Coast to meet relations every year or two, and a few times people came to Denver to visit her. 

Mayo Clinic is huge and world famous. It's come a long way
from two brothers practicing medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. 

Last night's phone call was from my second cousin in New Jersey, who took a chance on a whim and phoned. Her daughter, Ariella, will be starting a medical residency at Mayo Clinic today, so Judy will be flying in and heading down to Rochester to help her settle in. Judy, (my cousin), thought it would be fun to take a chance and reach out to me. I'm pleased that she did, and a bit astonished. I guess I have a lot of relatives spread out that I never knew about. We had a really nice conversation and we'll keep in touch through FaceBook. Wow - a whole new group of family I hadn't thought about in more than forty years! 

Happy Fourth of July to all! 

Have a great 4th of July, whether you're celebrating in the USA with fireworks, bar-b-que, and music, or whether it's just another day in July. I'll be back on Friday.