Well, It's Been A While. . .

Dearest Readers, I regret to inform you that we - which, lets face it, really means mostly just me - have been slacking on updating you guys with all of the zany adventures of our lives. Since my last post, we've gone on our first vacation as a family, we've started new jobs, and school has even started - for all of us. Our lives are just as crazy as they used to be, it's just in a different way. I'm going to try to recap everything so that I don't lose track of it all, and hopefully start a new habit of actually posting things when they happen. . . maybe.

The cabin trip was pretty much the best thing of my life. The only thing that would be better would be the four of us in Disneyland - and the only thing better than that would be the four of us in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and that's just because that place was already my heaven on earth. We drove up there with Cass - The Accepted - and left all of our worries behind. I don't know about the others, but it was SO great to relax and forget about work, studies - not that those have ever stressed ME out in particular, and the hullabaloo that is life. We took an air mattress and inner tubes so that we could float down the river that runs through the front yard. Ryan had a . . . well, disagreement with the water, as he and I floated down in the tubes and Katie and Tanner upheld the old, and most noble, tradition of Redneck Fishing and took the mattress. There was a scuffle and both of them ended up more wet than either Ryan or I did and we were actually IN the water. I don't know how it happened, but then again, Katie hasn't been called the plotter for nothing.

My birthday was super fantastic! Out in the middle of nowhere with my 3 best friends, my older brother and his girl friend, and the only little sister I'll actually claim to be related to, was just perfect. Cass went all out and made me a cake, Katie got me this AWESOME pillow that had the phrase "Normal People Scare Me" - which is something sadly true about my life - Tanner got me this PHENOMENAL mug that is all black with the words "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good" on the outside. When you fill it with hot stuff - not people, liquids - it turns all white and says "Mischief Managed." I feel all awesome when I make hot chocolate now. Ryan got me this awesome jersey to symbolize our theme song - Must Have Done Something Right, by Relient K - and my cousin got me all of these random and surprisingly entertaining kink-knacks from West Yellowstone. We had a delicious dinner - Ryan's speciality, chicken and potatoes, with some of the best rolls on the planet (the second attempt was good - the first made the rolls appropriate for naughty kids on Christmas more than a nice dinner), and my family's famous salad.

At some point why we were up there, we watched 1408. It was the first time Tanner and Ryan had ever seen it - and, let me tell you, the middle of nowhere, in the pitch black hours of the pm is probably the best time and place to watch a scary movie. Tanner and Ryan were scared senseless, it was kind of hysterical.

My cousin brought up his 4 wheeler and we also spent a lot of time on that. We finally broke in our set of Killer Bunnies: The Ultimate Odyssey and Ryan was attacked by a gopher. . . and a rusty old nail.

We came back, and literally got thrown back into our lives. Katie started a new job at the Ashford clinic - compliments of Tanner - I had to battle with the Area manager of my Jimmy John's store on when and why I would wear a belt, and all four of us had the looming shadow of the upcoming school year to deal with. It'd been almost a year since I had taken part in any kind of schooling - I don't do well with people talking AT me - Ryan was starting his senior year, Tanner is sophomore year in collage, and Katie her freshman year in collage. I started Culinary school. Our responsibilities have seriously depleted our time together, but we all still seem to find the random five minutes here and there to keep it all together.

These past couple of months have been hard. We've all been used to seeing each other ALL of the time, and with everything, there are suddenly more important things in life. I guess it kind of exemplifies the horrors of growing up. I've thought though, that maybe it won't be so bad. Sure, we'll go our separate ways, relationships will weaken, things will be forgotten, but we'll always have each other to fall back on. That's the definition of family, right? I mean, we might not always know what is going on but we know each other well enough to feel comfortable falling on. I think that is the coolest thing about the moments we've had that help us to define each other as our family. Hopefully, though, there will be more adventures along the way.

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