Well, I am back from Philadelphia, safe and sound (which is why, Karen, I never called you back this weekend). It was a bit of a whirlwind, but really fun. I stayed at my Aunt Mary's. On Sunday, I went to my dad's. My brother William Richard is cute, and exceedingly small at 10 pounds. He threw up on me. Normally this wouldn't be a problem. But typical of absent-minded me, I left my suitcase in Uncle Dean's car when he dropped me off at my Aunt Julies house, so I didn't have a change of clothes (and I will have to wait until I go up to the cottage in two weeks to recover my possessions from it). It was strangely liberating, though, to travel home to Houston without any luggage.

Stange Koharts

We went to a graduation party for my cousin Emily on Saturday. It was at my Grandma's house. There were all these random Koharts there that I didn't even know I had. You see, my Grandfather Kohart had 10 brothers and sisters. They had many children. Actually, last count I heard, my dad and his 3 sisters had 52 first cousins. Anyway, so much of the party went like this

Me: "Hi, I'm Rebecca."

Someone else: "That's Donny's oldest."

Strange relative: "Oh! I haven't seen you since you were an infant! My how you've grown."

Me: "And you are..?"

Strange relative: "I'm your Aunt/Cousin/First Cousin Once removed/Second Cousin Louise, I was married to your Grandpa's brother Ralph's son."

Me: "Well, that clears things up. Though I didn't know Grandpa had a brother Ralph, he must not have been very good at sending Christmas cards... So glad to see you!!... kisses hugs!"

Oh, they weren't all that strangely related. Many of them were actually great-aunts and uncles (my Grandpa's brothers and sisters and their spouses). But it was still very weird. At least I wasn't surprised about their number - I always knew Grandpa had lots of brothers and sisters.

I remember how shocked I was a few years back when someone came and introduced themselves to me as "I am your Aunt Rose, your Grandmother Cutri's sister." Up until that point, I always thought Grandma Cutri only had two sisters - the ones I knew, Aunt Annette and Aunt Joan. But, low an behold, I was shocked to find, in her family too, there were 11 children.

My great-grandparents must've been extrodinary people to deal with 11 children - I still don't know how most parents deal with 1 child (especially the poor mother who had to give birth 11 times!).

My first cousins Emily and Caroline, my brother Nick, and I all teamed up to attempt to remind each other of people's names and how they were related to us. One introduction simply wasn't enough.

My rant on the Bourne Identity

While my shorter cousins saw Scooby Doo, some of those taller ones went to see the Bourne Identity. I have to rant about one thing - the first part of the movie takes place at the U.S. EMBASSY IN ZURICH. Now, if you will see my rants here and here and here you will recall that there is NO EMBASSY IN ZURICH. Additionally, the consular office in Zurich is a one room office with only two people working there - and it is NEVER open. The real Embassy in Bern is not nearly as tall, nor is it as well-decorated as the one in the movie. I was very disappointed at the lack of realism. I was entertained, though, that Matt Damon's partner in crime was this Swiss girl he picked up at the embassy. She kept cursing in German (not subtitled), which of course, I understood (since cursing is about the only thing I understood in German). But the funny part was the adolescents sitting behind us trying to figure out what she was saying.