"I dont care how poor you are--if you have family, you're rich."

It's 9pm and all 7 of my house's current occupants (excluding myself) are in bed. This is because 5 of them are my family visiting from Virginia and North Carolina, 1 is sick, and 1 is a husband who must attend to said sick household member. This leaves me with few options-- read a book in the bathroom (the only room sans sleepers), facebook stalk my future fellow Summer Staffers that I'll actaully get to meet in person in 4 days (already done), or blog. Heyoh, guess which one I picked.

Topic of the night: family.
I come from a big family-- 2 sisters, 1 brother, 12 aunts, 12 uncles, too many cousins to count, 6 nieces, 4 nephews, and 1 grand-nephew (that's right. one of my nieces has a baby). Family events (which include but are not limited to: First Communions, birthday parties, weddings, camping trips, Angels games, and most holidays) are massive gatherings where the noise level is never below a dull roar and you almost always have someone's baby in your arms and you eat more food than you thought humanly possible in a 5 hour time span. I relish those things. There's nothing I love more than spending time with my family because no matter how long it's been since you last saw them or even if you just met them, they are always excited to hear about what you've been up to; they're ready to laugh at your jokes (and of course their own too) and love on you like you've never been loved on before. That's what they're best at--loving. It doesn't matter if you say something hurtful or break something or are always late or end up fighting about some issue, serious or petty (and believe me, there are fights), because my family always always forgives each other and goes right back to loving you like nothing was ever wrong. They are protective but welcoming, stubborn but strong, flawed and yet, perfect. Everyone is everyone else's best friend. We make each other laugh and cry; we teach each other and learn from each other; we follow the examples set before us and we stand as our own examples for those below us. Sure, we have our moments where everything is insanity and we're at each other's throats, but then someone hands you a bowl of pozole and tells you to shut up and join in the game of Texas Hold 'Em and all that love comes rushing back. There's a resiliancy within them that humbles you and makes you feel safe at the same time. Spending time with my family means being surrounded by love (and food). Nothing better.