More of that, please

I'm exhausted. Let me just get that out there.

My weekend plans got more interesting than originally planned when my cousin Tim posted a proposal on my Facebook page Wednesday night. He had the weekend off, and he was thinking about making his first trip to Seattle. The next thing I knew, it was Thursday and Tim was walking into a hotel restaurant to meet me shortly after my work day had ended.

Tim lives in Minneapolis and works for Delta/Northwest, so he often can hop on the next flight to just about anywhere without much effort. It's a perk he takes advantage of quite often and, since he had the weekend off, he made this last-minute trip one that included seeing me.

The last time I saw Tim was at my mom's funeral. Before that, it had been a few years. Before that, a couple of years. Before that ... you get the point. We don't see each other all that often, and we didn't even when I lived in Iowa City and he was just 100 miles away in Des Moines.

Tim is four years younger than me, making him my closest cousin in age. When he was born, I remember being really excited — like most every 4-year-old when a baby comes along — about having another kid around. One of my favorite childhood pictures is of me sitting, legs stretched straight out, in a chair so I could hold him. I can just imagine my mom and aunt Tonda preparing me as I climbed in that chair. I was a wiggly little one (yes, me), so I'm sure they were explaining the importance of sitting still and holding his head just right.

It always has been rare for me to see Tim. A Christmas here or funeral there, but not many times in between. As soon as he arrived, I put on my tour guide cap and planned trips to the usual suspects — the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, my favorite bars and restaurants. Our weekend was anything but filled with down time.

Hanging out with Tim this weekend brought a big smile to my face. We laughed at episodes of The Office and bonded over terrible reality TV (i.e. Jersey Shore). This weekend may have been exhausting, but it gave me hope Tim and I may actually build a stronger bond in our adult years. That's something I wish to do with each of my family members. Our family may be small, but we're a bit spread across the country. And getting together isn't something we are the best at doing.

Having family members come to town ... more of that, please.