Friday, March 13, 2015

friends & family

Well, I'm still here I promise! I wouldn't call the last 2 weeks a blogging "break", but I'm glad my heart has led me back to this creative space today. Our lives have been ramping up in the last couple of weeks, and I don't anticipate it slowing down any time soon. Plus, I'm so glad we are finally over the winter hump! I can see the end of the tunnel for cool weather, thank goodness!

As I mentioned here, my family participated in the Colon Cancer Coalition's Get Your Rear In Gear 5K last weekend. 




It was a very special opportunity to experience this with my family especially to be there in support of our mother. I have to admit this is my first "race for the cure", and it's very eye opening to see those who are running in honor or in memory of someone. Every single thing is put into perspective so quickly when you realize how lucky you are to be running or walking beside the ones that have been affected. Not only was this a special day, but it was also an unofficial countdown for our family. The days when we can quickly gather and be together as a family unit are coming to an end as my sister and brother-in-law will be moving soon for his medical school residency. We have to wait another week to find out the destination, but I don't foresee it being very close.

To say these two are my nearest and dearest is clearly the understatement of the century. Our relationships are both family and friends. Best friends. For one, my sister and I obviously spent much of our younger years thinking about who we'd marry only to hope that person would become our best friend as well. They had to because we were, right? Well, I've been blessed with a brother-in-law that has not only become a great family addition, but a best friend and confidant as well. It's a special friendship that started almost 10 years ago. He's an investor in people, and he's become the top cheerleader for our family. Now, on the other hand, my sister, there aren't even words. She left the county when my brother-in-law went to medical school, and I absolutely needed to buy stock in cucumber slices to cure the bags under my eyes from crying. Now she's potentially leaving the state... I have no idea how I'm going to cope. This new stage could last almost 10 years. We'll almost be 40, have more nieces and nephews, up's and down's, new habits, new do's, who knows what else. New chapters maybe even new volumes. She's the person in our dynamic duo that's the level headed one who's always been the calming force and frankly who always laughs at my jokes. I could never wrap my head around twins who lived separate lives. It always made me so sad that they would never have what we have. As it stands now, counties away, we talk several times a day and see each other more frequently than not. 

As happy and over the moon as I am for my brother-in-law to be accomplishing his dream and providing my sister with a lifetime of wonderful memories, I think I speak for everyone that it's sad to see this chapter come to a close. These are the moments in life that define a family's dynamic, holiday dinners, birthday parties, and last minute get together's. If I know anything about the next potential 10 years is that I will quickly become a frequent flyer. To somewhere. We'll know soon.
Until next time, I'll leave you with a flashback circa 2009!