FAMILY AND OCCUPATIONS Jenny happily agreed to accompany John on his visit to his family gathering the following weekend. They were now officially a couple, and it would be a good time to introduce her to his mother, father, and brothers. Also at the get-together was John's uncle, named Doug. Doug was a mechanical engineer, who worked on all kinds of machines, including steam and gas turbines and electric generators. He was an extremely intelligent man, who helped guide John in his younger years. While chatting with his uncle, he noticed his two cousins Michael and Joanne in the background. The three of them hung out quite frequently as kids and shared a lot of childhood memories. They grew apart as they got older, unfortunately, and lost contact with one another as they entered the workforce. Michael ended up working his way up to a management position at a retail store. And Joanne was a part-time hairdresser but a full-time mom. Jenny was obviously overwhelmed by all the new faces, but she was able to get to know at least one person at the event. This person was John's sister-in-law Olivia. From the very get-go, the two hit it off and established an instant rapport. Jenny was a journalist by trade, and Olivia was a writer for a TV show that was produced by the same media company they both worked for. While they had seen each other around the office, they had never met until now. In the end, there were just too many people for Jenny to meet and even for John to catch up with. They briefly said hello to his grandmother and aunts, but they never got the chance to greet his nieces and nephews. All the kids were busy playing together in the backyard. The family was able to take a group photo, which included Jenny, who was invited to join in. Every year, it's John's dad who is given the task to create the best family photo possible. Leaving the task to him makes sense, given that he's a professional photographer. The sun started going down, and the day was growing late. As everyone was leaving, John had another opportunity to speak with his Uncle Doug. He voiced his concerns about burning out at his current job at the insurance company and was considering a few possible paths he could take. Uncle Doug advised him that, even though he's not sure where he wants to work in the future, he should definitely start taking classes as soon as possible. Waiting to start was the worst thing he could possibly do.