Shriek-guffaw-gasp

One of the unforseen joys of wedding planning is that it brings me into contact with people I love dearly but don't talk to very often. Take last night, when the search for my cousin Philip's address sent me straight to the source, and I ended up talking to my dear Aunt Becky for almost an hour. We have not so much as chatted since Christmas, and haven't connected in any real way since last summer, when our California vacations coincided and we spent six lovely days sharing a condo and bonding as only Gregg girls do. The Gregg family laugh is perhaps our most well known aspect. Each sister (Mom, Kathy, Debbie, and Becky) is individually capable of generating a shriek-guffaw-gasp laugh that is truly remarkable both for it's immense decibal range and the contagious effect it has on anyone else in a half-mile radius. When you put two or more Gregg girls in a room together, the combined effect can be deafening. And side-splitting. My cousin Anna and I have inherited the Gregg girl guffaw, and what was achingly embarrassing to us as children has turned into a blessing in adulthood. Some of my most precious moments have been spent shrieking on the floor with an aunt or cousin. Last night's phone call with Becky was no different: we giggled, we tittered, and by the end of the call I felt like I had done a hundred crunches and my spirit was saturated with joy.