To some, Sunday brunches are for special occasions, holidays, or the perfect excuse to eat some good food. But for my family, Sunday brunch happens almost every Sunday and has for the past four years now. What started out as a random Sunday brunch for fun, turned into to a new family tradition.

We meet at the same place, a little family-owned restaurant, at the same time, Sunday at 10 a.m. And by we, I mean my most of my extended family on my mom's side. My parents, my grandpa, my aunts, uncles, cousins and on occasion a guest or two. Our brunch requires three to four tables pushed together, 10-12 menus, and four plus pots of coffee.

The owner's and staff have come to recognize and know our family by name, so every time we walk they recognize us right away and point us in the direction of the table. The manager comes over to our table almost every time to chat because over the past four years we've gotten to know each other pretty well.

Sunday brunch became something I looked forward to each and every week. First, I love breakfast food and would eat it for each meal if I could. Second, the restaurant we go to makes the best French toast and pancakes in my opinion and I could never turn down a good brunch. But lastly, and most importantly, through brunch, I've grown so much closer with my family and it's reiterated how important it is to me to continue to have a close relationship to my family as I get older.

Brunch to me is dedicating a couple of hours of my week to spend it with family. We've created such a stronger bond as a family because we get to talk and catch up every single week. Everyone is talking across the table, talking over each other, with mouths full of hearty breakfast food. Each week we get to talk about our ups and downs and support each other through those moments. It's the best way to kick off my week because brunch and seeing my family each week puts me in the best mood.

Brunch still happens every Sunday, even though all my cousins and I are away at college. Although it may be a smaller group until us college kids come back, everyone still meets to be in each other's presence.

I think about home and my family every Sunday at 10 a.m. I wish I was there to talk to them, to see them, to be in the presence of the people that mean so much to me. Even though I can't be there when I'm at school, I find comfort knowing that everyone at home is meeting at our brunch spot to spend another Sunday together. It makes going home that much sweeter because that not only do I get to be home, but I also get to go to brunch before I head back to school.

I'm already looking forward to the Sunday of Thanksgiving brunch because there will be brunch and we will all be back together again. Only 10 weeks are in between me and the sweet maple syrup at Sunday brunch, but who's counting?!