FAMILY

My family is very special to me. We spend a lot of time together. All holidays, birthdays and other special celebrations we spend together as a family It is usually my Mom and Dad, my Dad's sister Lisa, who I refer to as "Best Auntee," my two cousins Annanda and Andrea, and both of my Grandmothers Most of our gatherings consist of a lot of food and a lot of laughter In the summer my Dad loves to BBQ and make homemade ice cream For Thanksgiving, my Mom and I do most of the traditional dishes and my Mom is famous for her peach cobbler and pound cake For Christmas my Dad makes lasagna and I always make a ton of Christmas cookies and treats. When we get together, we eat, play games, dance and reminisce on old times. We love pulling out old photo albums and talking about memories from the past. I am blessed to have both of my Grandmothers still living and in good health for their ages (they are 81 and 91 years old)! It is wonderful to hear stories from their pasts and reflect on the memories of those that have passed on

My cousin, Andrea, that I mentioned before is more like a sister than a cousin to me We refer to each other as "Best Cousins." We have an incredibly special bond that is hard to describe in words. We have a lot of similarities yet we challenge and make each other better because of our differences. We have the same sense of humor and often annoy other people laughing at inside jokes or things we find funny that no one else understands She is Godmommy to my dog Kokoa, and I am Godmommy to her dog Phoebe

My best friend, Letitia, is also someone very special to me that I feel is appropriate to include when talking about my family. She, Andrea and I are three peas in a pod! We often talk about how we are closer to one another than we are to some family members. Letitia and her husband Maurice (who I refer to as my Brother), come to so many of our family gatherings In fact, if they are not there, someone is always asking where they are because they are just like family My parents have adopted them as their niece and nephew We have experienced a lot of joy and a lot of pain together and through it all our bond is never broken