Our Family

(Chloe) My parents both live close and we see them often. My mom has picnics at her home where Rachel and I, and my sisters gather for good food and laughs I am the middle of three sisters Jillian, also a nurse, is my oldest and she has two sons Donte is on his own and lives in Buffalo, NY and Grayson will be graduating high school this coming year Lacey is a few years older than me and came into my life when my mom married her dad, Dave. She has two daughters, Brooklyn and Riley, that are in grade school and would love to have cousins their age to play with Amy is my youngest sister, she lives close and we spend the most time together She often comes to visit with our dad and we will camp, bike, and hike together

(Rachel) I am the oldest of my siblings and stop in to see my brothers at their house as often as I can We are all adventurous and go with each other to concerts and festivals all year Since childhood, every year my parents; brothers, Nathan and Alex; and sister, Chantel would go on vacation. These vacations are some of my favorite memories as a family and I will always cherish them. Our yearly vacations continue, sadly, Chantel is no longer with us

Chantel was hit by a drunk driver on January 20, 2019 We spent 8 days in the hospital as Chantel fought for her life She lost her fight on January 28, at the age of 17. Chantel was such a loving and giving person; she was an organ donor and was able to help many people through her gift of organ donation There is not a day that goes by that we do not think of her This loss has reshaped who all of us are; we know how important family time is, and we cherish our time with each other

Now that we ’ re older, Rachel and I have begun to form some of our own family traditions We have a very large and extended family that comes to our home for holidays, and we welcome everyone to our table She has many aunts, uncles, and cousins that have some deep family roots. A few years ago we began hosting Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas gatherings at our home. It’s special to us to continue a tradition that was passed down to us by Rachel’s mom, who offers guidance and support when hosting a big group