mi familia...my family...meine Familie...

my family is my history, my support system, and the bane of my existence. i grew up through them, relationally and vicariously. their lives are part of my own. my immediate family consists of: my mother - Mary Ann (Loverde) Kurtz, 49, from Detroit, Michigan. second oldest of 4 kids - 3 brothers - and also had 7 stepsiblings. her father (first generation Italian-American on one side) walked out on the family when she was eight - shortly after her youngest brother arrived - but has since made amends to the family and our holidays are often spent at the Loverde's. her mother (French and Irish...one of her sisters was almost a nun) was the one whose second husband had all the kids. they had gobs of fun growing up in the 60's in a house with millions of kids and rare supervision. my mother went to Catholic school from kindergarten through twelfth grade. she still has guilt over not sending her children to church. my father - Christopher Karl Kurtz, 54, from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, originally from St. Paul, MN. youngest of 3 brothers - the oldest one is gay, 62, and teaches scene/lighting design at the University of Miami and lives with his partner of about 10 years. the middle brother is a Vietnam vet with two boys, 20 and 16, living in Detroit. his father (German, Scottish) was an alcoholic, but hid it well. his mother (Swedish) was the epitome of a Virgo - nagging, obsessive, loving, and artistic. the family was Episcopalian after an old disagreement with the Lutheran church back in Minnesota. they had an immense appreciation for the circus and the theatre - and at one time 35 reptiles and amphibians resided at their house. regarding religious beliefs, he refers to himself as a "militant agnostic". my sister - Caitlin Elizabeth Kurtz, 16, born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. younger of two daughters - her sister is an obnoxious, occasionally bitchy college student in Chicago. her father is still a hippie - a self-described "psychedelic conservative", a draft dodger, and an old man who plays with toy circus trucks and loves animals, especially turtles. her mother is always trying to make the best out of situations - make her laugh when she is crying, smile when she is angry - and she is very good at starting arguments. her family does not participate in any sort of organized religious practices other than celebrating Christmas. they encourage creativity and independence and are avid viewers of Jeopardy. she has gone to public school her entire life, is very artistic, and an incredible lacrosse goalie.

nothing here but history, can you see what has been done · home at last