Family is first, family is everything. Few people will doubt that. But family is often more than the people connected to you by blood or marriage. Our second family can come from anywhere. Our neighbors, our church, friends of our parents from college. Wherever they come from, they are an extra blessing.

We were both raised in small immediate families with a large second family. It began in the back left pews of the church with a couple adults and a few babies. Years passed and the family grew larger and closer. It evolved into kids making gingerbread houses, taking baths together, bouncing on trampolines, building backyard fires, traveling down the coast, late night conversations, getting into a little bit a trouble. Almost 20 years later, the bond between the “kids” and the adults has grown into one that is bold, loving, and omnipresent.

This Thanksgiving holiday, we were thankful to come home to our second family. It didn't matter that we were stressed about our futures or that our lives were both transitioning into something new. What did matter was having the opportunity to walk into a home bursting with smiles and hugs, picking up where we last left off on old conversations from months ago, and reminiscing on the memories intertwined into 20 years.

As we chatted in the car until 2 am, we talked about was how crazy it is that we're all grown up and that we're all in different places. A lot has changed in the past 20 years and a lot will change in the 20 years ahead. One thing that hasn't changed is the joy that we find in each other's company. This is one thing that won't change in the 20 years to come. This family may not have been our first, but it is an addition to our family that is our everything.