NIECES

My brother has three daughters, and I couldn't be prouder of or love any more three wonderful girls. I relish every chance to see them (as I do all my nieces and nephew, which is entirely too seldom). This picture was taken in 1994, and features (l to r) Oxana, Tatjana, and Illiana. All three are smart, beautiful, and sweet.

The next picture was taken three years later. Sadly, you can't see well anyone's face, except for Illiana, but I like it anyway. It seems like their father, my brother Paul, is trying, unsuccessfully, to corral the group. Why Tat is praying, we may never know. Paul is dressed in his Pinellas County uniform (I think possibly as a crime scene tech, before he became a deputy). Standing with them is their mother Patty, who would later also join law enforcement (as did Oxana) in Connecticut.