The Annual Lang Christmas Dinner

Hey all! So tonight was the annual Lang-Szatkowski-Pauli Christmas dinner. Every year, my cousins from Michigan (and aunt and uncle) visit my family (in N.J.) and the Pauli's (in Pa.). The 12 of us usually meet up for dinner, sometimes in Philly (ick), sometimes in Jersey (boring) and sometimes in Manhattan (yay). This year we went to Little Italy for a nice long dinner, tons of food and wine, and non-stop, fast talking conversations.

My cousins, Kristin and Caroline, are my favorites. Kris is 6 months older and Care is 2 years younger than me. The four of us (the three girls and Brett) get along wonderfully, always have and probably always will. Kris and Care live in Chicago now, working and going to grad school, respectively. Both are single, inasmuch as they are not married and they are so much fun! We used to spend two weeks down the Jersey shore every summer until we went to college. We would get up super early, ride our bikes to the tennis courts, play tennis for a few hours, then head home for breakfast and an early beach time, where we would tap naps in between boogie boarding, swimming, taking walks along the beach, biking some more and playing street tennis. Those weeks were the best of the summer!

Kris is in the foreground (the blonde with the bangs - Brett is next - Care is in the background: