Glimmer Of Hope

I've always felt a little guilty that I moved 2 1/2 hours away from my family up in Chicago when I got married. Today I felt a little glimmer of hope that someone from my side of the family might eventually end up down here. My cousin, Julie drove down here to Peoria this morning to pick up an application for the Peoria Fire Department. She stopped by to visit and hung out with me and the babies for a few hours. I gave her the tour of the house and showed her what Ashley says would be Julie's room downstairs, until she could find her own place, if she gets hired and moves to Peoria. (Sorry, Mom.)

Let me just say that you are officially an adult when your 22 year old cousin comes to visit and you drive her around town in your minivan so she can buy birthday balloons for your 11 year old daughter, who also happens to be her God Daughter. I am so old!

She has a really good chance of being hired, though. She's pretty tough and can probably hold her own against any male firefighter. How funny would it be if the two of us both ended up in Peoria?