Family Also

* My cousin Allison has challenged me to post every day this month. As you can tell, we are off to a hell of a good start.

Today's topic is family. Much like Allison (Maggie's Red Thread) I have been blessed by many families. I have my diverse and non-sensical family that I belong to. I have ex-aunt-in-laws that are more like my Dad and I have called 4 women grandma but I am pretty sure that a family tree only has room for two. They all proved this weekend how much they care about me, a majority showed up to support me at my wedding.

I have a family from high school. Dhara, Ashley and Emily have all known me since 7th & 10th grades respectively. Emily was a bridesmaid and super helpful to Amanda. Dhara and Ashley, both recently married, were very supportive of my endeavors. One of the neatest things my mother told me about was Dhara's mother approaching her and telling her that she was honored to be there and how much they love me. My mom replied that she adored Dhara as well and missed her when we all went to college. This is the part of family I forget.

You always hear that "friends are family that you choose." Very true, but your family also chooses to embrace them as well. My family knows a lot about my friends, they ask about their well-being, about school / work. My family over time is actually invested in my friends. How cool? Dhara even played a role in my cousin Erin's wedding. The best thing about my family is often we blur the lines between family and friends.

My last night in Charlotte I am spending with Sara and Tim. They are not just our "couple friends" that we do "couple things" with. They are my family as well. I am invested in how they are doing, the Smiths return in kind.

This has been a fun week and a half. I thought I would grow "sick of home" but I really just got homesick. I am not sure when we will come back, if we will come back, but I need my kids to know the rest of my family. So I don't want to tell people we are coming back.... but we won't stay gone too long.