Siblings

I have three siblings; they are the banes of my existence, the thorns in my ass, the gum on the bottom of my shoe.....but they are also worthy adversaries and the great gifts my parents ever gave me. I have an older brother, a younger sister, and a little brother. Two of them are married so I also have an incredible SIL and a hilarious BIL. The best thing my siblings have ever done is give me nephews and nieces so I think I'll keep them around.

The Cowboy is the oldest of six so I've gained three brothers and two sisters. They are funny, caring, wild, and so entertaining. We have spent many a night drinking with his brothers and having a great time- we've been kicked out of bars, inferred with bar fights, and ruled the beer pong table. I adore his brothers. His sisters are young, 22 and 10, but they are a blast to hang out with too. I've played dolls with his baby sister countless times, painted nails, and gossiped with his other sister. His 22 y/o sister recently moved to my hometown, where we also are, so we get to see her and her son often, it's awesome

I lived away from my family for six years and missed them so damn much. It was really hard to not be around them and moving back was the best decision I ever made. We definitely don't always get along but we always make up and move on from our disagreements, no matter how big or small. They've seen me through my darkest time and always celebrate my accomplishments with me.

Hands down, the darkest time in our family was when my Dad was dying. I wasn't sure how we, as a family, would handle it but everyone rallied and came together to limp through that ordeal. It's odd that some of my most cherished memories are from those five weeks my Dad spent on hospice. We just tucked into my brother's house and rarely left that cocoon until it was all over. I'm grateful that my Dad passed surrounded by us and grateful that we all had each other to lean on afterward.

We still struggle with the grief and sometimes it's hard to all be together because my Dad's absence becomes so glaringly obvious. But we talk about him often and enjoy reminiscing, we are the keepers of each others childhood after all.

Family really is everything to me. I'd be so lost without them and I'm just really, really grateful to be back around them. This Friday, they are entirely what I am most grateful for, they are my whole list this week!