My relatives have started to arrive for graduation.

It's been years (literally) since I've last seen them. Yesterday a huge RV came down the street and stopped in front of our house and blocked anyone from passing for a good ten minutes as it backed into our driveway. It belonged, of course, to my great aunt and uncle, Billy and Brenda, and my second cousin Robin. They're from Mississippi. Then twenty minutes later my Nana came with my dad from the airport! It makes me sad that I'm a northerner sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love having a Minnesotan heritage and the funny accent that it comes with and whatnot. But when they got out of the RV and started talking I realized just how much I wanted to fit into the whole "southern culture" sort of thing; I felt like my mom and my brother and I were... well, out of place, three inhospitable yankees trying to make up for our lack of southern everyone-knows-and-loves-everyone-come-on-in-and-take-your-shoes-off aura. Maybe it's just me, but I want that sort of easy-going nature. I love how it turns into big meals and big families and story telling and just relaxing and coffee and sweet tea.

I'm excited for today. The girls (including me!) are going shopping and Nana is putting color in my hair (YAY!) and we're having honest-to-goodness, true southern chicken and dumplin's for dinner! And my aunt Suzie and uncle Scottie and their four kids are coming, and my grandpa Jim, and my uncle Jason and his girlfriend Katie! It's going to be fun. And Luke gets to meet my family! Huh, hope that one turns out well.... ;)

On a side note, I had another end-of-the-world dream last night. That makes dream number 3! It's always flooded. Weird.