In the television show Supernatural there is a quote that the majority of the fandom will never be able to forget and one I certainly won't be able to: "Family don't end in blood." The show centers around two dangerously codependent brothers and their quest to avenge their family and kill any supernatural creature that poses a threat to humanity. Oh, and stop the apocalypse however many times it tries to end the world. So it makes sense the show has this saying "Family don't end in blood" at its core.

I've been extremely fortunate in my life to have an amazing and supportive family specifically with my parents and my sister, but also my grandparents and aunts, uncles, cousins; basically, I'm listing my relatives here cause I do have a really awesome biological family. I'm also incredibly lucky because I have another family. One that doesn't necessarily share the same DNA as I do. You see, when I was in sixth grade I went to Butler University's Creative Writing Camp and met some of the greatest people I have ever and no doubt will ever meet. The camp itself was an incredible experience taught by Butler's Creative Writing or English Students as mentors and bringing in Hoosier authors to talk to the campers about their writings, the job of an author and so many other topics. For any parent in Indiana with a kid who has a passion for the written word, I'm telling you that this camp is going to be one of the best things they'll ever experience and they should totally attend it. The camp was what introduced me to the people that changed my life for the better. I can't imagine my life as it is now without Jess, Megan, Alena and Alex in it. Some may say that certain friendships are only temporary and I am in complete agreement with them, but there are also friendships that are more than just friendships. Each of my creative writing camp sisters, or as I am going to refer to them my spirit sisters, is someone I would go to hell and back for. We've been through a lot with each other. We've graduated high school, gone to college, dealt with heartbreaks, breakups, family deaths, psychological problems, new psych diagnoses, coming out, contemplating marriage, the marriage of others, and something none of us had ever expected, one of our friends distancing herself from all of us after a big fight with one of my spirit sisters. These are the girls that I want in my life for as long as they're breathing. I share some of my favorite and best memories with Alex, Alena, Megan, and Jess. Celebrating my nineteenth birthday with these girls was a blast. Getting to see Alex during a break in her work as a camp counselor schedule with Jess and eating at IHOP celebrating as many birthdays as we would miss during the school year. My phone calls with Alena while I'm away at college. Megan's senior year talent show performance where she read a poem she had originally written for me after having my heart broken by a boy I had confessed my feelings to. Our Christmas parties and sleepovers where we stayed up late into the night talking about tv, movies, books, and our lives. Spending the night at Alex's house and helping her sell stuff at one of her high school's football games and cleaning up the church she attends together. These are memories that I cherish with all of my heart.

These are my sisters. Even with the distance between us due to my choice to go to college in Missouri while they all remained in Indiana, we still talk about what is going on in our lives. My sisters know me better than I know myself. These are the women I would want at my wedding as my bridesmaids if I planned on having one. These are the women for whom I will probably be the bridesmaid of in their wedding. These are the godmothers of my possible future children. They are my best friends, my cheerleaders, my best critics in a constructive way, the ones I go to if I may need to bury a body, the women who could turn me into a female version of Liam Neeson from Taken if they were kidnapped, the women I would give my very life up to protect. They're as much family to me as my mom, dad, and sister and I couldn't be more grateful for that.