Twenty-seven

Yesterday was my twenty-seventh birthday.  My twenty-sixth year was a great one and I wrapped it up very happily by celebrating throughout the weekened.  My Uncle Mark came to town on Thursday and the weekend got off to a fun, early start.  On Friday night we had cocktail hour(s) at our apartment with my uncle, my brother, Russ, and Greg's parents followed by dinner out in our neighborhood.  It was so great to see a group of people that I love getting to know each other and getting along so well.

Me & Uncle Mark

The primary reason for Uncle Mark's visit was a family reunion on my grandmother's side, which was held yesterday at a farm in Culpeper, VA that has been in our extended family for over 150 years.  My uncle is a geneaology enthusiast and spoke at the reunion about our family's history dating back to the Mayflower.  I knew hardly any of the 3rd, 4th and 5th cousins who were there, so I felt very lucky to have my uncle there to connect the dots.

Greg made a friend

Funnily enough, the inspiration for this blog's title came from my middle name, Larkin, which is a family name on this side of the tree.  Actually, a large part of why this branch is so large is that my great-great-great grandfather Larkin was the father of twenty-one (!) children.  The farm where the reunion was held originally served as a school for his children and then as the home of his son, Larkin, Jr.  Beyond the interesting history, it is just a beautiful place and we had the perfect day to enjoy it.

Where we spent the day

We got back late in the afternoon and had a quick rest before heading across the Key Bridge to meet Russ for my birthday dinner in Georgetown.  It was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend and great way to kick off the year ahead.  Very much looking forward to seeing what twenty-seven has in store...

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