SHOW US YOUR LIFE - Your Family

It's time for another "Show Us Your Life".  Instead of sharing about my husband and puppy (whom I adore and could talk about forever), I'm going to share about the family I grew up with!

The most recent family picture, 9/2009

My parents were very young when they had me and during my early years they worked so hard to make sure that I would have a great life.  They had a lot of help as I was growing up (my dad is one of 6 so I have a ton of aunts and uncles and both of my grandmothers were instrumental in raising me), but they had to grow up very quickly.  They were and still are the BEST parents.  I consider my mom to be one of my best friends and my dad is always the first person I turn to when I need help or just someone to laugh with. 

Don't get me wrong, I was a very typical teenage girl and between the ages of 12 and 18, my mom and I were not friends.  I'm pretty sure we didn't even like each other (there's a huge difference between loving someone and actually LIKING them).  I thought she didn't know anything and she thought I was a brat.  Luckily, it was a stage.  As soon as I left for college, I realized how much I needed them and how well they took care of me.  I talked to my mom a lot more than my friends did while I was away at college and in the 4.5 years since I graduated, she's become the first person I turn to when I need to vent and when I need to make a decision.  We like the same books, TV shows and movies and shop at the same clothing stores.  I am SO glad that we have the relationship that we do, I couldn't ask for a better mom or friend.

I am a total daddy's girl.  I'm pretty sure I always have been and I don't think that will ever change.  My dad is one of the funniest guys I know and he loves to hang out and just relax.  We have the same sense of humor (often finding movies and TV shows hilarious while my mom looks on in confusion) and loves helping people and taking care of things.  He doesn't talk much (not many of the men in our family do, the women do enough of that), but when he does, it's important or hilarious.  Also, my dad can fix anything!  Seriously, he always has the right solution and the right tool to do the work!  Whenever we prepare to fix or build anything, my dad is the first call...and he always knows just what to say!  My dad has supported me through every step of my life and never failed to mention how proud of me he was.

My brother Marc is 10 years younger than me and while we've never been best friends, we're as close as we can be (he was 8 when I went away to college and I haven't lived in the same house with him on a long-term basis since).  When I got to high school, we had nothing in common and there wasn't much for us to talk about.  But when I went away, I realized how much I missed my brother, how I hated that I wasn't around as he was growing up.  Every summer break, I spent as much time as I could with him and we've reached a good point in the brother/sister relationship.  He's old enough now that we can talk about life, share music, go out to lunch together and I can give him advice. It's incredibly hard for me to believe he's 18 and I feel like just yesterday I was holding him in the hospital the day he was born. Marc is incredibly funny, a little sensitive and loves his car. Despite not being super close when we were younger, I love my little (but much taller) brother more than I can say and hope I get to see a lot more of him now that we'll live closer.

I am extremely close to my family.  I'm in my late 20s and have had no problem living with my parents and brother for the past 2 months.  I know this wouldn't fly with most people...but my parents are my friends and after living over 1000 miles away for the past 4 years, I value any time I can spend with them, long or short.