As everything should begin, I’m going to kick off my set of entries with the basics: my family. I’ve heard the expression “you can’t choose your family” time and time again. However, if I was given the chance to choose my family, I can honestly say I wouldn’t pick differently. Cheesy, I know, but it’s very true. They are all very special to me and each of them play a different role in my life, as I play in different role in each of theirs.

I’m going to begin with my mom, and start by saying that she is funniest person I know. She’s from Arkansas, and if you ever talk to her, you’ll instantly know it. Her southern accent is so strong and apparent it even surprises me sometimes. Trying to describe her now is difficult– she is someone that is indescribable. She is so caring and determined, hot-headed and passionate, loving and stubborn, it’s hard to say what exactly she is. She’s a culmination of everything. She’s my best friend on some days and my worst enemy on others. I like to joke and say that it’s because she’s an Aries, to which she only glares at me. Though when she shows her soft side, it’s very visible. Last night she called to tell me that she spent all day searching for sea glass on the beach because I mentioned a few months ago that I love sea glass and wish I could find some (she’s currently vacationing in Florida with my dad). She’s completely unique and special, one of the most intelligent and beautiful people I have ever come across in my life, and is certainly unforgettable if you meet her. I am unafraid to say I love her with all my heart.

While my mom is a person who has to be talking to someone at every second, loves social events and meeting new people, my dad is none of those things. He prefers being alone and not interacting with anyone at all (something I completely understand). My dad can be summed up in one word: smart. He’s a computer scientist and loves to remind me of that whenever I need tech help. He played baseball his whole life, even coaching it at one point, which is something he does very well. Ever since I was little, he was always the one to teach me lessons. He taught me how to play sports, how to swim, how to use a computer, how to do everything. I’m the only girl in my family, besides my mom, so my dad and I are really close. We’re very similar in that we both love to travel and go on adventures, we both love dessert and if we are ever at a restaurant together we have to order it, we both enjoy building things together, and we love our alone time. My dad is more like me than anyone.

Let me just start out by explaining that growing up as the only girl in the family is tough, but it’s even tougher when you have two brothers who are both older than you. As horrible as it is, my brothers were downright sadistic to me as kids. They used to lock me in the basement and turn off the lights after I would watch a scary movie with them, put Post-It notes of random messages from “ghosts” throughout my room when I was sleeping so I would wake up in terror, tricked me into thinking that I was adopted and was found in the trash, etc. Of course they grew out of that, and actually learned that I had a lot in common with both of them. Colby, the oldest one, loves to read just like me and enjoys musicals and plays. He was the first one to hold me when I was a baby, and was the first person to teach me how to dance, which I ended up doing for twelve years. Of the two, he was always nicer to me as kids. As we grew older, that role changed to Connor. He’s the middle child and is by far the most problematic. Always grumpy and always moody, Connor was the child you could never coax to get to smile for a picture or even wave to a video camera. He does everything on his own. Slowly over the years, he became more protective of me, but still maintained an icy exterior. If you’ve ever watched Grey’s Anatomy you’re familiar with the character Alex Karev. Very rude and stand-offish to anyone he meets, though when he lets his guard down, it’s impossible not to feel everything he’s feeling and only love him more. Connor is a lot like that. Though we aren’t very similar, he’s the brother that will text me just to ask how my classes are going, or to give me simple words of advice. He cares more than anyone, which only makes him harder to hate, and thus harder to say goodbye to.

So, if given the choice to choose my family, I would pick the same people. Realizing that only makes each day seem tougher, each phone call seem shorter, and each day until I see them again seem longer. Despite that, they’re always able to make me feel at home with a simple word. Mom sends me pictures of my dogs every day, Dad always wonders how my math class is going and insists he can help me, Colby and Connor are always wanting to chat about college life. They always make me feel at home, even if I’m 1,000 miles away. That, I think, is the point of family.