and now there are 17...

This is my "Cole" Family. My Mom's side. And now there are 17 members!! They all made it to the wedding, not that I expected any less. 8 of them flew in from Minnesota and 4 of them flew in from Phoenix. My cousin Rachel was a bridesmaid and Tony was a groomsman. The Rode clan took lead organizing and getting people where they needed to go once they got to the venue...and for that I am forever greatful. Everyone seemed to have a great time and many of them turned it into an extended vacation either traveling out early, staying late, or both for that matter!

Jason is the first new member since 1992 - which was when my cousin Caroline (far left) was born. Actually, that might not be 100% correct...hum, I'll have to do some invesigating. I don't know when my Aunt Elaine married my Uncle Foster.

Either way, I am their first grandchild to get married. There are 6 grandchildren in all...and the pressure is on, thanks to Rachel's toast at the wedding, to add another generation to the family ;-)

I can't wait until next summer...when we will hopefully have our every-other-year family vacation. Up until the wedding Jason hadn't met 5 of the family members and so I am excited for them to get to know him better, and visa versa. They are such a fun group that I am proud to be part of, and it's been fun to see how over the years we've changed, started awesome (silly)traditions, and had a ton of fun doing it!