I have been in Ohio, on the first leg of a 12-day vacation that will end with 8 days on a bus through three provinces in Canada. 

In Ohio, I spent the week with a dozen of my relatives, all but one of whom do not read my website.  Most of the conversations I had with these people went something like this:

Cousin Mike:  Hey, yeah, I heard you walked 13 miles or something for charity that time.  Good job.

Me:  Are you referring to that time I ran the Boston Marathon?

Mike:  Oh, yeah, right.

Me:  That story and more are available at TheologyGirl.com . . .

And then Mike (or any other blood relative-THANKS CARING FAMILY WHO WON’T READ THIS) would find something interesting outside of my direct presence and flee.  Except my uncle.  He claims to read my site.  My own mother?  Not so much.  She figures if I did something worth knowing about, it would be on the news.

Also interesting about this trip was my cousin Jake.  Jake, an 18-moth-old steam engine of a boy who never runs out of steam.  Ever.  He moves in this sleep.  The words he likes most are, “Up!” and “Outside!” shouted with the unbridled enthusiasm afforded to a person able to take naps at will.  The only person I’ve met with more kinetic force is my cousin Holly, who was also at this gathering.  Our exchanges followed thusly:

Me:  Jake and Holly, let’s read TheologyGirl!

Jake:  Outside?  Outside.  Outside!  Ouuuuutttttttttttsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide.

Holly:  What he said.

We’d then go outside.

Today, as I am off to Canada and Peter back to Boston, I keep walking through the airport comparing others’ sub par children to my own perfect cousins.

“That kid isn’t as cute as Jake.”

“Adrienne,” says Peter, “Jake is cute, but you should respect other people’s . . .”

“YOU WILL SAY NOTHING AGAINST THE BOY.  HIS CUTENESS MUST BE GIVEN PROPER REVERENCE.” I then scowl until Peter genuflects in the correct manner.  Or at least rolls his eyes.  This will do in a pinch.

In other words, despite the fact that said extended family could care less I print something on the web that gets thousands of readers a month (or more, if I get a link on BoingBoing), I will still type their praises.  Even if I won’t see Holly and Jake until they most surely have forgotten who I was.