The Convent Baby

On January 29, 1994, our 8th child, Brian Cullen, came into the world. He came under somewhat unusual circumstances. Our family was living in a convent- St. Joseph's Convent on Cabbage Hill In Lancaster,PA.

It was Super Bowl weekend and there was lots of snow. I was afraid the streets would be impassable and I couldn't get to the hospital.

However, everything went well and he arrived safely.
      You may be wondering why we were living in a convent. Our house on Church Street

was being renovated so we packed up 7 children, 2 dogs, 6 cats, and moved to the second and third floors of the convent that we rented from St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Our rent covered  having 16 bedrooms and endless bathrooms. Each child claimed a bedroom and a study!The downside was that there was no kitchen so we converted a bedroom into a kitchen with a microwave and a hot plate. The church brought in a refrigerator and we did the dishes in a bathtub. No more than one appliance at a time could be on or we would blow a fuse! There was a washer in the basement, but no dryer so we hung everything on racks or on the radiators.
       Brian was and is an adorable redhead. Here are some photos

.We often joked that his sister Joan and him were twinsies.

One more boy came after Brian (Francis)  to make him part of the Cullen Clan of 9,

He grew up to be an very intelligent young man, who was salutatorian at Lancaster Catholic High School

and he graduated summa cum laude from the Fox Business School in the Honors Program at Temple University,

While at Temple he loved to play rugby.

He also has a great sense of humor,

He just passed all 4 CPA exams and is working at PwC in Philly.I look forward to seeing what God has in store for his life ahead!! Happy 23rd birthday, Brian. We love you!!