Thank you, all, and thank you, SC, for the assist in the post. DC, it's not the first time someone has asked me where I came from.
And TIS, the pictures were taken at a restaurant just north of Scranton at a surprise 50th anniversary party for Mom and Dad. It had a very nice private dining room for us, and my parents were surprised.
And Fame, I got a chuckle from your comment about my brother looking like Al Gore. I never heard that before, but I'll be sure to tell him.
My grandmother has poor vision and complains of a sore back, but she can still smoke a pack a day as she's done for about 80 years, and she drains manhattans like they were lemonade. She turns 97 in May. Her mind is still sharp, which is unusual in ourfamily as senility in our clan is almost as certain as the sun rising in the East.
My daughter is a fun, bright, energetic kid, who has the world by the tail, and what's best is she doesn't even know it. She is a starting point guard for her middle school team (probably the first in the family history to play that position) and has her dad wrapped around her finger. She's quite a young lady, but is still not afraid to be a little girl too.
My younger boy, who's 15, is the big baseball player. He's hoping to play in college. He discovered girls and got his ears pierced this past year. It surprised me a little,ut what the heck? There are a lot more important things to worry about.
While my wife and I are proud of all three kids, we are particularly proud of my oldest boy, who is a high school senior, accepted at a few colleges with plans to study finance and business administration. Two years ago he began an exercise and diet program to get into better shape for baseball. Well, while he looked great after losing 10 lbs. He ended up losing 80 lbs. in 3 months and was emaciated. We took him to our doctor, who referred him to a respected expert in the field of eating disorders. While my son would have been the last person I'd think of to have an eating disorder, it turned out that his spartan diet prevented his body from making seratonin, which caused depression-type symptoms, which only fueled the eating disorder. He had little interaction with friends, and gave us a scare. Well, he's better than fine now and he has been happier and more confident than ever. He has a lovely girlfriend too.
I have to say, there is nothing you can accomplish in your life that can compare to the feeling of pride and satisfaction that comes with watching your kids succeed at something.
Thanks again, everybody.
Great pictures to frame and hang on the wall.
It's so homey. I remember growing up and into my adult life, we ALWAYS had the basement fixed up into a family room on one side and a kitchen on the other. 
Today I find that red heads make a striking appearance.
