What's in a name?

For me, this is an easy answer.....Tradition and family! My mom's side of the family, The Niemczyks ('Nim-checks' for those having a hard time with that one!) held a family get-together the first weekend of August and I had the pleasure of visiting with them.

My Uncle Mike and Aunt Toni hosted the get-together at their home in Fenton, just north of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

We never really got to spend a lot of time with our family growing up, only showing up for the occasional holiday, wedding, or unfortunately funerals. It makes it tough on those of us who didn't grow up with all of them, and being that its a large family you have a hard time keeping up with names at times! Trust me, I had my problems! But the point is, that with all of the time away, you can walk into such a day and feel like time has stood still. We have such a great family and I am so proud to be a part of this heritage and bloodline. It's a pretty damn good looking group of people I might add!

There comes a point, especially in my life, where my family has become so much more important to me. Reconnecting with my cousins and beginning new relationships with them is just the highlight to start. I can't wait to continue this and start getting together with them more often. I want to also thank my cousin Marisa for inspiring me to write this! I saw a picture that she 'tagged' me in and it said 'damn it feels good to be a Niemczyk!', I couldn't agree more! It was great seeing her and her sister, along with my other cousins. It was great learning where everyone was at and catching up was a lot of fun!

So, Uncle Mike and Aunt Toni, thank you for keeping 'tradition' something special for us! Thank you for the great food cooked by all of you and the great conversations we held all day long! I love all of you and want you all to know how much you mean to me! You were there for me when I was sick and even with all of the separated time, you were all there for me! The true meaning of what tradition and family are to me.

Hope to see you all again real soon!