Mom: Dori Goldman
"Life... what a great adventure!"
My eccentric mother. Her experience is in religious administration and arts administration. Most recently, she was the executive director of the restoring the historic Seminole Theatre in Homestead, Florida. She moved back to metro Detroit in 2005.

Dad: Sam Smargon
"Every day gets better."
My father has had a life of extremes -- of sorts. He grew up in a well-to-do home in Detroit, went through college and law school at Wayne State University, hated the weather in Motown, and moved to Miami. With two brief exceptions in private practice, my dad has been a government man for his entire life. He paid his dues -- literally -- in the 1980s, but he reclaimed his desired standard of living a decade later through hard work. He works for the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida. He has lived in Boca Raton, Florida.

Sister: Stephanie Smargon
"My name is Steffi... I live in a shoe..."
My sister graduated from the University of Florida in 1997 (like me!), and got her MBA from Michigan State University. She works for BankAtlantic in Fort Lauderdale, crunching lots of numbers for her corporate masters. As a certified Def Leppard fan, she's been to five concerts (in three states!) and met members of the band twice. I was with her at two Def Leppard concert in Providence, Rhode Island in August 2003 for her first encounter with them; we got front-row seats too! My other concert also had front-row seats in Manchester, New Hampshire in June 2005.

Aunt: Janet Brody
"I made a decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of G-d as I understand Him."
My Auntie Jan is a trained therapist. She wants to be free from employment so she can join the vacation of the month club; her JOB (just over broke) interferes with her life. The most important thing she has learned is to make a decision and do it; there is no such thing as trying.

Cousin: Michael Brody
"Life, and the experiences therein, are the greatest of all mentors... and really good box seats."
My cousin Mike is Janet's creative, easy-going, forward-thinking son; he is the oldest of the eight Goldman cousins. The greatest accomplishment of his life is his son, Jacob John: "All arrogance and pettiness fall away when you become responsible for another life; humility and moderation become priority. Your "sins" of omission or commission now effect a much broader milieu." He is president, chief executive officer, and all-around Man In Charge™ for Brody-Bilt Construction.

Cousin: Marla Aliza Mostyn
"Don't judge a book by it's cover, 'cause it might be the best book you will ever read."
"The height of insanity is doing the same thing over and over... and expecting different results."
My cousin from Detroit is a vibrant, bullheaded, determined lover-not-a-fighter who knows what she wants... she wants professional, personal and spiritual success. (Don't we all?) She tied the knot two days before I turned 28, and now has two boys. She'll try anything once (as long as it is not illegal), she has a lead foot, and she has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh. She is a Personal Banker at JP Morgan Chase Bank in metro Detroit.

Cousin: Rob Bittner
"I'm just your average heavy metal/classical fan."
My swimmer-and-computer-crazy cousin from Detroit works for the city of Troy, Michigan as a computer geek. He's also a volunteer firefighter for the city as well. He got married in 2002, has a beautiful baby girl, and has another child on the way.