Blessings of unplanned family visits here and there

It seems that every personal crisis that has hit me so far this year, has been buffered by unexpected blessings. One such blessing was the unplanned visit into town by Mom & Ed right before my trip to Pittsburgh. Although that came with its own dramatic flair, the upside of it was that I got to spend time with them that I wasn't expecting to, and that was a wonderful thing, a much needed boost to my spirits. Not only that, but my sister Sara came down here for a night, so I got to meet my nephew Owen, who is sweet and perfect and perfectly wonderful. We ended up congregating at Maria's house for a spell, which led to some picture opportunities such as these: