Missing Home

My Family!

This week has been a hard week for me. It is that time of the semester when I have not seen my family since I moved back, and it is starting to hit me how much I miss them. I am very close with my family, so being seven hours away from most of them can be really difficult. My parents were extremely supportive of me going to school wherever I felt led to, even if it meant moving far away from home. My parents are truly my biggest supporters, especially my dad, who I am extremely close with. Ever since I was young, I've been a daddy's girl. Everyone told me I was the girl version of my dad and oldest brother. That was never an insult to me because I admire my dad and would be honored to be like him. 

My Older Brothers!

On top of being close with my parents, I am also very close with my siblings and sisters-in-law. I have two older brothers, Joey and Justin, who are married to Nicole and Kelsey. Joey and Nicole moved to Florida around the same time that I moved to Ohio to begin college. Since they live very far away, I don't get to see them as often as I'd like; however, I have an overnight layover in Orlando for my flight home for fall break, so I will get to see them then, and I am very excited! Justin and Kelsey live about 45 minutes away from home, so I still get to see them pretty often when I am at home. I love visiting their house because they have two dogs, Birdie and Rooster, whom I like to call my niece and nephew. They also have six cats named Goose, Ducky, Penguin, Squeak, Dove and Finch. They never intended to end up with six cats; however, Kelsey works at a barn on the weekends and took in Squeak when she was pregnant. They helped Squeak deliver her kittens, and then they fell in love with Dove and Finch and ended up adopting them.

Justin & Kelsey!

I am especially close with my older sister, Britt, since we are the only girls. Fun fact: we actually hated each other when we were younger since Britt was used to being the only girl in the family. We are seven years apart, so she was not too fond of me when I came along and changed everything. Somewhere along the way, we began getting closer, and now I would consider her my best friend and the person who knows me the most. She is who introduced me to theater and gave me my passion for it. She inspired me to pursue it as a career and has always supported me in that. I am the person I am today because of my older sister! Although we still have our fights and disagreements, I know my sister will always be there for me. There is something so special about sisterhood and I am so grateful I get to experience it. 

Joey & Nicole

Five years after I was born, my little brother Jake came along. Although I was still very young, I remember so vividly wanting to be an older sister. I was elated when my parents told us we were going to have another sibling. Jake's birth was very traumatic for both him and my mom. Because of that, he had a very difficult first few years. Although there were a lot of challenges, I was just overjoyed to have a baby brother. Now he is in his senior year of high school getting ready to become an adult, yet I still picture him as that little baby. Jake and I have gotten extremely close over the past two years, and he is growing into such a mature young man and I am so proud of him! I am glad we both get to share our senior years together. We even plan on doing a joint grad party this coming summer. 

Jake & Britt

Overall, I know I am extremely lucky to be so close with my family. My roommates joke about how I am on FaceTime with one of my family members at least once a day. My parents taught us from a young age that family is a blessing and that we are each other's built-in best friends. Although some people may see our closeness as unusual, I think it's special, and I will forever be grateful for the bond I share with them. I cannot wait to go home for fall break and spend some time with them. Until then, I will be counting down the days!