Originally Posted 12/30/2013 on Phantasmagorias
I’m very excited (as you can probably tell from the title) because my grandparents just bought a lodge in New Mexico and we are going to visit them for a few days. It’s been so long since I have had a holiday with snow and I’m SO HAPPY! These past few days have been short but wonderful. Our extended family came in the day after Christmas and we spent a few days together before we all had to part ways again. My favorite thing about the holidays is spending time with family. Ever since I can remember I’ve looked forward to spending days upon days with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
The older I get, the more I enjoy the time we spend together. With everyone getting married, moving, starting and finishing school, and all the other things that families do, it gets harder and harder to spend lots of time together. However, I am thankful we always set aside at least one day to get together, have a big meal, and just spend time talking together.
One thing we always end up doing is telling stories of our lives over the years. I love these stories because they always remind us of the joy we find in our family. I love hearing stories from the adults about their childhoods, which reveal so much about people we never knew and a world that was so close to ours yet so different. I love hearing stories that I know backwards and forwards, which remind me of all the crazy, wonderful times I have spent with my family. I love the new stories that everyone brings, to share their past year in a hilarious way. There are so many different kinds of stories we share, all of which leave us with bellyaches from laughing so hard.
Because my two older cousins have both recently married within the past few years, our family has grown in the best ways. With so many newer faces in our family, we obviously had to share all our old stories with our new members. It was so cool to hear stories that I have known forever be taken in as new stories. It was also nice to hear them share stories from there past, blending our family with theirs through memories. I am thankful that such wonderful people have joined our mad family.
Though our time together was short, it was definitely one of joy. I am so thankful that I have the family I have, and even more thankful I get to see them so often. Now, I am excited to see the other side of my family and enjoy the same sort of time with them. Before we know it, the New Year will be upon us. This past year has been filled with joy, sorrow, change, and excitement. While there are some things I hope the next year will improve upon, one thing I never want to change is the love and happiness I share with my family. Though we may all go on new adventures throughout our years, I hope we can continue to come back together to share our stories, the old and the new.
The older I get, the more I enjoy the time we spend together. With everyone getting married, moving, starting and finishing school, and all the other things that families do, it gets harder and harder to spend lots of time together. However, I am thankful we always set aside at least one day to get together, have a big meal, and just spend time talking together.
One thing we always end up doing is telling stories of our lives over the years. I love these stories because they always remind us of the joy we find in our family. I love hearing stories from the adults about their childhoods, which reveal so much about people we never knew and a world that was so close to ours yet so different. I love hearing stories that I know backwards and forwards, which remind me of all the crazy, wonderful times I have spent with my family. I love the new stories that everyone brings, to share their past year in a hilarious way. There are so many different kinds of stories we share, all of which leave us with bellyaches from laughing so hard.
Because my two older cousins have both recently married within the past few years, our family has grown in the best ways. With so many newer faces in our family, we obviously had to share all our old stories with our new members. It was so cool to hear stories that I have known forever be taken in as new stories. It was also nice to hear them share stories from there past, blending our family with theirs through memories. I am thankful that such wonderful people have joined our mad family.
Though our time together was short, it was definitely one of joy. I am so thankful that I have the family I have, and even more thankful I get to see them so often. Now, I am excited to see the other side of my family and enjoy the same sort of time with them. Before we know it, the New Year will be upon us. This past year has been filled with joy, sorrow, change, and excitement. While there are some things I hope the next year will improve upon, one thing I never want to change is the love and happiness I share with my family. Though we may all go on new adventures throughout our years, I hope we can continue to come back together to share our stories, the old and the new.
Here are some images from our family Christmas
Cousins!
Cousins!
And more cousins!
"Rudolph" had a bit of an accident and ran right through our wall!
Grant got a steel guitar. Awesome!
Maggie and Coby don't always get along great . . .
(All pretend of course)
(All pretend of course)