There may not be as many of us as the Brady Bunch, but an ode to you...

When Mom met Curt (Dad by Marriage.) I will be honest when I say I did not like him. Not because he was a bad guy because if you know him, he is clearly not. I did not like Curt because I was not good with letting new people into my finally happy little family. We had gotten to the point where life was finally settling down until Mom started bringing Curt around. After a while of knowing Curt, I actually started to enjoy being around him and enjoyed his presence (Yes, I came a long way.)

Once we knew Curt for a little while, we started to meet the other pieces to the Hudson crew, Ashley and Parker. From the get-go, I adored them because of how open they were to meeting my brother and I and how happy they were for their dad. I admired that so much because first off, I was the youngest and seeing people older than I am enthusiastic for their parent while I was making it as hard as I could for mom definitely changed my perspective on how I was treating my Mom. Along with Ashley came her daughter, Madison, and at the time fiancé (now husband.) Ryan. Getting to know them was cool for me, but at the same time a little intimidating because like I said earlier, it was hard to let new people in for the fear of them walking right out of my life. Parker was the other missing piece. Parker is so intelligent and kind even when we first met him. He seemed to care about you the second he met you, along with his side-kick and fiance, Crystal.

Curt, you never had to step in like you did. You never had to love us like your own but you have. Because of you, you have not only made our lives better, but have made them a little more enjoyable too. I owe it to you for how happy my mom is.

Never did I think I would love those strangers like I do now, even though were different in age, and walk of life, but to me it doesn't matter. Family is family and no matter how long you have known them and I am thankful for the ones who have been placed in my life.