For The Family 1,000 Miles Away

For The Family 1,000 Miles Away

Living 1,000 miles apart was something we never saw coming, but makes every second we spend together mean so much more.

Makayla Jean
Makayla Jean May 5, 2019
498
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When it comes to family, I like to think I got pretty lucky.

Growing up, I lived in the same house with my older sister. It wasn't until we were about fifteen and seventeen that we finally started getting along and being interested in the same music and hobbies.

Although it never looked like we would get past the steal each other's clothes and holding a grudge about it for a week, when we finally did, nothing could stop us.

We spent summers taking trips to Ulta and standing outside concert arenas waiting to see our favorite artist.

But, we could not have had any of that without the help of our parents.

Our parents never had many rules that we had to follow. It was more of a "as long as I can trust you, then we won't have any issues."

I remember summer days in our old house playing cornhole until the streetlights came on.

I remember road trips to visit the farm fighting about what to listen to ultimately to end up dancing to Meet in the Middle by the Diamond Rio.

There are so many memories and so many moments that felt like they were going to last forever that I took advantage of because I didn't realize what I had until it was gone.

This is a letter to my family who lives 1,000 miles away.

Hey guys.

Over the last year, so much about the dynamic of our household has changed. I finally moved into my own place and you guys are finally settled in the beach town that you have been dreaming about your whole lives.

First, I want you to know there is not a day that goes by that I am not thinking about and missing you guys. So many things that I do on a regular basis remind me of you. The thought of coming home again is sometimes the only thing that makes getting through the semester a little bit easier.

I know it can be aggravating being on different schedules and not knowing when the perfect time to talk is, but please, don't ever give up. I understand life gets busy but even if we can't get ahold of each other the first time, keep calling.

I was really worried that living 1,000 miles apart would change how close we are as a family, but now, I know that is not true.

Although I would do anything to head home to 984 and pull out the trays and eat some buffalo chicken dip, I know that things are different now and the time we have together means so much more.

To Mom and Dad,

I remember being a little girl sitting on the beach looking over to you guys talking about how one day you would be living there. I remember going through the grocery store and seeing something that resembled beach decor and you guys planning your perfect beach home. Seeing you guys achieve your dreams is more than I could have ever wanted and I can't wait to meet you guys down there.

Always remember that I am still your little girl, just a few thousand miles away.

To my sister,

I would say the hardest thing about being 1,000 miles away is just living life with you. I miss coming home from work and just laying in bed laughing for hours about something funny we saw online and taking the long way home just to scream our hearts out to our favorite songs. I look forward to every chance we get to talk and every moment we spend together.

You will always be my best friend, no matter how many miles stand in the way.

Also, just remember that our time being apart isn't forever. As soon as I am done here I will be down to join in on the weekend beach days and daily pool parties.

Even though it seems so far away, before we know it we will be back to eating dinner but maybe this time watching the sunset over the gulf.

Although some people see change as a bad thing, I think that this change has given us all the opportunity to grow which is what life is all about. I love and miss you all more than words can even explain and cannot wait to see you all soon.

I hope I am making you proud up here.

Love, me.

Makayla Jean
Makayla Jean May 5, 2019
At Bowling Green State University

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When You Make A Girl An Aunt, You Change Her World In All The Best Ways

When you make a girl an aunt, you make her the happiest girl in the world.

Andrea Johnson
Andrea Johnson Apr 24, 2019
248427
views

My brother and his wife recently blessed our family with the sweetest bundle of joy on planet earth.

OK, I may be a little bias but I believe it to be completely true. I have never been baby crazy, but this sweet-cheeked angel is the only exception. I am at an age where I do not want children yet, but being able to love on my nephew like he is my own is so satisfying.

When you make a girl an aunt, you make her a very protective person.

From making sure the car seat is strapped in properly before every trip, to watching baby boy breathe while he sleeps, you'll never meet someone, besides mommy and daddy of course, who is more concerned with the safety of that little person than me.

When you make a girl an aunt, you give her a miniature best friend.

There is something about an aunt that is so fun. An aunt is a person you go to when you think you're in trouble or when you want something mom and dad said you couldn't have. An aunt is someone who takes you to get ice cream and play in the park to cool down after having a temper tantrum. I can't wait to be the one he runs to.

When you make a girl an aunt, she gets to skip on the difficulty of disciplining.

Being an aunt means you get to be fun. Not to say I wouldn't correct my nephew if he were behaving poorly, but for the most part, I get to giggle and play and leave the hard stuff for my brother.

When you make a girl an aunt, you give her the best listening ears.

As of right now I only listen to the sweet coos and hungry cries but I am fully prepared to listen to all the problems in his life in the future.

When you make a girl an aunt, you make her the best advice giver.

By the time my nephew needs advice, hopefully, I will have all of my life lessons perfected into relatable stories.

When you make a girl an aunt, you make her a number-one fan

Anything you do in life sweet boy, I will be cheering you on. I already know you are going to do great things.

When you make a girl an aunt, she learns what true love is.

The love I have for my nephew is so pure. Its the love that is just there. I don't have to choose to show love every day, I don't have to forgive, I don't have to worry if it is reciprocated, it is just there.

When you make a girl an aunt, you make her the happiest person in the world.

I cannot wait to watch my precious nephew grow into the amazing person that I know he is going to be.
Andrea Johnson
Andrea Johnson Apr 24, 2019
At Auburn University

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True Tales Of Growing Up In A BIG Family

Spoiler alert, I get tackled a lot.

Kenzie Kesling
Kenzie Kesling Jun 5, 2019
1756
views

I was born into a fairly large family. I have upwards of twenty-something first cousins, many of who are around the same age as me. It has honestly been both a blessing and a curse to have so many people around me all the time. Some of my favorite memories come from family gatherings where all of my cousins were there. However, since most of my cousins are male, there has also been a lot of physical violence where people get hurt, even if the intentions were innocent. I have so many stories about my family, some of which I won't share here because they are a little bit inappropriate, but others are too good not to share.

The first story I want to share is from this past Easter. Most of my cousins on my Dad's side were at my Papa's house celebrating the holiday. There was so much food we could probably feed a small army. Some of the older cousins decided that we were going to play a game of whiffle ball. All of the cousins who were playing were at least sixteen and some of them were much older. Many of us had or are playing sports in High School or College so this game of whiffle ball got extremely competitive very fast. I ended up being the Umpire/pitcher because I played softball for so long. The game ended with my brothers winning and my other cousins upset that they lost, but it was still one of the memories I will cherish the most even though I definitely threw out my shoulder pitching.

I can remember playing a game of football on Thanksgiving when I was young (maybe five or six). This game, not unlike the whiffle ball game we played at Easter, got super competitive super fast to the point where even I, as a six-year-old, was being pushed and tackled to the ground by much older boys. I honestly can't remember much about that game, maybe I got hit in the head too much, but I do remember having so much fun playing with my cousins.

I've been on a cruise two times in my life, both times with my extended family. One cruise was to Mexico when I was very little. What I remember about that cruise was getting extremely sea sick and that the cleaning staff would make towel monkey on our beds. The cruise was to Alaska when I was a lot older, I think I was fifteen. Since I and my cousins were much older on that cruise, we caused a lot more trouble and were able to get away with it. Every night we would go to the pool and swim. Then, we would go to the buffet and only eat pineapples and mac and cheese. We, also, may have or may not have gone into a bar to sing karaoke. While the cruise was fun, I wouldn't have had such a great time if I wasn't with my family.

While sometimes they can be a pain, having so much family has taught me a lot about communication and playing right. Again, I only have scratched the surface here in regards to the plentiful stories I have, many of which are so much funnier. I love my family so much and I would never trade that in for the world.

Kenzie Kesling
Kenzie Kesling Jun 5, 2019
At Western Washington University

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