The Oldest Bursley

I spent my weekend with these people:

(Wanna know my favorite part of this photo? Those two little ones with their arms around each other. Too cute!!!)




And here, my friends, is the oldest living Bursley to date. {{drumroll please}}

Yep, that is him. That is my Uncle Burt. He celebrated his 79th Birthday this weekend. He is so cute!!!




My cousin Bill and his wife, Carol had an awesome picnic at their house and we had such a great time. Before I ramble on, let me give you a tad of family history. My dad (aka Bill) and Burt (aka Birthday Boy) are brothers. These two brothers married sisters (my mom and my Aunt Ann). Therefore, I have four (count 'em) FOUR double cousins. They are Bill, Mark, Deanna and Michelle. I don't really see them that much, which is a shame. Mostly because we live so close. But MANY, MANY of my childhood memories involve this group! We always lived fairly close. We spent MANY holidays together. AND who could forget football season. So....let me introduce the cast of characters.




First off, these are two of the three crazy Bursley brothers. You probably can't tell by their faces that they can be a handful!

Next come these two rascals. On the left is my cousin, Michelle. She sings like a lark and has the patience of Job. I have never heard her yell. Never. Ever. I think there is some genetic flaw, because she IS a Bursley and we aren't necessarily known for being quiet. On the right side is Mark. He is the character of all chacters. He has THE BEST STORIES. I cannot even repeat some of them online! hahahaha....... He is also EXTREMELY good hearted. My dad has a total soft spot for that one! (Did I mention he was a total cutie when we were growing up? Oh and I remember him having a "thing" for Olivia Newton John. HA!)

Next are these two lovelies. This is my cousin, Deanna and her daughter, Jessica. Deanna is ....what I would refer to as...A HOOT! She is always laughing. But better than that, after living with her two brothers for years, she has the best comebacks EVER! She can spar with the best of them and it had me ROLLING when we were at Bill's house! And Jessica....what can I say? In all truth, she is probably one of the nicest young ladies I have met in a LONG time.

Before I mention the others, you may notice that the pictures have become more formal. That is for two reasons. 1) Most of the pictures I took at the picnic were not flattering, and 2) We were all in church together on Sunday. On Sunday, my Uncle's church recognized him (more like a roast) for his years of service. Being the indecisive Bursley that he is, there were EIGHT hymns my Uncle elected to have included in the service. Oddly enough, I think you can find these same eight hymns at most Bursley spiritual gatherings (funerals, etc.) We must all love the same hymns! HA!






Anyways, now to finish the introductions:







This would be my Uncle Burt with his oldest son Bill, Bill's wife Carol and their grandson. He may quite possibly be the cutest boy on the planet. He has a darling, outgoing personality and check out the spiked hair! Gosh, I look at Bill and all I see is my Aunt Ann. He looks so much like her!

Last, but most certainly not least, this is a picture of my dad and uncle with my Aunt JB. Yes people, I do have an Aunt as young and beautiful as JB. I was looking at her during the party thinking, "Man, do you age?" Funny thing is, when we got into the car and shut the door, Mike said, "JB looks EXACTLY the same. She doesn't age." Hhhmmm....my thoughts exactly. The question is, "WHY DIDN'T I GET THOSE GENETICS?"

After returning home that evening I had a thought. This is family. You laugh, you argue, you share, you push eachother's buttons, you reminisce. But, in the end, you are still family. There is always a common ground to bring you back together.....as friends. And you know what? I genuinely love each and every one of these people. I can't wait until we can all get together again. I want to hear more stories from Mark, more comebacks from Deanna and I want to hear JB giggle. I don't want to miss anymore.

And to my Uncle Burt, you are glue. People like you are the reason our family keeps coming back together. And for that....I am thankful.