Many people who are lucky enough to be close with their family members will tell you that family means everything to them. I am one of those people who happens to be extremely close with their family members. I have my parents and younger brother who constantly support me, but my extended family is also there for me too. In total I have my grandfather, six aunts, five uncles, and 14 cousins, some of which have kids themselves. Even though we're spread across the country from California to Massachusetts, we're able to always be a part of each others lives through social media and holiday parties.
Laughter is something that my family members know all too well. Whenever we're together for an event there is always something to laugh at. At our family thanksgiving get-together, my future cousin in law Jess sent out a Snapchat video to almost all her followers, as well as her personal story, of us playing corn hole. The kicker? She had captioned the video "Christmas with the Hoyt's." Now that's a story we will never let her live down.
Whenever we get together on my dads side, we always have corn hole ready to play. This all goes back to a West Point football game when we played it for the very first time. We were tailgating in the parking lot after the game and my Aunt Pam had seen another family playing it at the other end of the lot. She really wanted to play, so she brought Jess down with her and they bartered with a pitcher of sangria and the other family let us use the game. Now it's kind of like a little family tradition we have.
Love is present within my entire family. Even though we joke around and make fun of each other, we all would do anything for one another. Whenever someone is going through a major life event such as an engagement (Shoutout to Jess & Chip, Jackie & Fernando, and Meghan & Dave) or graduation (Shoutout to Maddie: APHS class of 16'), we always let each other know how much we care.
Happiness is something that I think we all share. My grandmother used to say, "Tough times don't last, but tough people do." I believe that my family as a whole is the definition of this idea. Even at our lowest points, we are able to make light out of the situation and try to help one another out. We don't let one another down and we never leave them feeling alone.
So looking at everything my family shares and how we act together, I say family means everything to me. I'm so grateful to have a constant support system, as well as some of my best friends. I am so happy to have them all in my life and I couldn't ask for anything better.
