October 1

I had several photos that I wanted to use today, but alas, my internet connection is sub-par and I can't convince them all to download. So I had to really think about the one that I liked the most, and this was the winner:

I liked all of them for various reasons: there was one of me and my sister-in-law Reaya at my nephew Brendan's soccer game this afternoon. There was another of my brother Charlie and I from our spur-of-the-moment stop at the local ice cream institution Jimmie Cone (and yeah -- the ice cream and jimmies were just as awesome as I remembered). There was another of both of my brothers and I making goofy faces for the camera after dinner at my grandma (the one I'm staying with, not the one who passed)'s house this evening. (Well, I was making a ridiculous face. They both looked normal (or as normal as they ever look).)

But I went with this one for three reasons: one, we're in my grandma's kitchen, where I spent a lot of time growing up. Two, we're all being silly. And three, and most importantly, every person in this image is one of my blood relatives: my mom, my nephew, my niece Brianna, and my brother. That's a statement I can rarely make, given that most of my family still lives in Maryland and I'm 3,000 miles away. But it's a statement I could make today and back up with this image. And for that blessing, I'm very thankful.