A Beautiful Zen: In the Moment #8: I'm related to these people

Weddings bring people together. Weddings at all-inclusive resorts in Cancun fly all those people to a different part of the world, force them to leisurely lay on the beach and make them smoke their neurons over which iced alcoholic drink they'll have for their fourth beverage that day. Life's hard at a destination wedding.

Not only are life sustenance decisions most taxing on vacation but performing them under pressure around your family is frankly overwhelming. In truth, your endurance is tested when laying on beach loungers all day gossiping about your lives. Your brain needs to prime juicy material to keep your audience entertained lest they throw all-you-can-room-service fajitas at you. Laughter and warm-feels have only aching smile muscles as their reward. Family's the worst.

And really, how does one keep track of them all? With more and more people arriving everyday until the wedding, your whole family tree is constantly being shifted and after a while, it's not surprising if that guy in the pool, who you thought was a local, turns out to be your soon-to-be cousin-in-law's father. He just happened to get a little too much sun that day.

Let's play a game of Count Jenn's Cousins.

I counted 6. Did you? I can't even tell anymore. Someone get me a virgin Pina-Colada 'cause I took a sip of that non-virgin Miami Vice and I couldn't handle it.

Now for serious, though hot places and sunny beaches are not my ideal vacation spot, I was more than pleased, in fact, thrilled, to spend time with some of my most favorite people. I've grown up always hanging out with my cousins and I don't ever want that to change. It's interesting how weddings quickly expand your family and I had the pleasure of welcoming two new additions this year already. I sincerely can't wait to get back to Vancouver and have some boardgame nights and fun times with the fam-fam, especially since David and I will kick their asses (#justsaying).