Almost every summer since I was born, my family has gone to Myrtle Beach in July at my grandparents' timeshare. But, this summer was different...it wasn't just my sister and I. Recently, my mom got remarried, and we now have a blended family totaling six people. We now have not only two needy girls but four (scary stuff right?). I don't know how my stepdad is currently dealing with this, because I know I can barely deal with my one sister at times. So not only are we a married, blended family, but we are taking our first vacation to the spot I have grown up with my sister at.

I can imagine it is weird for them, being that we have so many traditions that I expect to happen. Who knows if they want to do them or how they feel about them. We typically do beach mornings and pool afternoons, go to the boardwalk and Broadway on two of the nights for a nice dinner and spend Tuesday at the pool all day for the cookout. For my sister and I, it is second nature doing what we do; for them, though, do they feel like they belong? So far I believe they do; they have started their own things, like making breakfasts in the morning the way they do while they are on vacation and asking to do activities like bocce ball and volleyball on the beach (things we never did before). I know they say merging families is a huge problem for most, but I think we have it down pretty damn well.

Traditions are meant to be changed, right?