My little cousin is getting married this weekend. Amid the stress of dress hunting, arrangements for the kiddos and realizing I’m going dateless, I stopped to focus on all the good that’s going on. I used to babysit this beautiful little girl who is now a beautiful woman. I’m still in shock she’s grown and getting married but I can’t wait to see her walk down the aisle.

The other reason this weekend is so special is a bit more involved. I’m meeting long-lost family:)

Back in our teens, my cousin (now 33), found a certificate of live birth for a woman named Veronica my grandmother gave up for adoption. What??? Gramma Bea gave a up baby girl? The woman who could give the family answers had long since passed and left us with this mystery. Who and where is Veronica? My cousin and aunt went through spurts of trying to find her--researching records at the libraries, looking online, etc.,--to no avail. I personally tend to be an out-of-sight, out-of-mind kind of gal (character flaw, sorry).

Now, nearly 15 years later and through the wonderful world of Facebook, Veronica found us. She messaged another one of my cousins asking if she was any relation to Beatrice and it fireballed from there.

I have an new aunt. I have cousins--one of whom was childhood friends with one of my best friends growing up.

So, cheers to meeting new family and welcoming them to this dysfunction.