Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Hawaiian Summer Chronicles Part Two: My Brothers and My Sisters and Me

By far, the best part about this specific trip home was spending time with these people:



It's hard to explain what a precious thing family time is to my family, and I'm happy we don't take it for granted. Though we are incredibly close at heart, it's mighty rare we get to actually spend time all together.


You see, Leah and Joel are a decade older than Tess and myself so by the time us younger siblings were settling into elementary school, Joel and Leah were flying the nest. 
And when I say flying the nest, I mean it... Joel left straight out of high school for what turned out to be a several year odyssey across the world and Leah landed here in Kauai when I was only eleven years old.. the rest is history!



Since then it's become kind of usual for Christmases to pass with someone missing and an empty space in our annual family photo. (The first year Joel wasn't home, we propped up his giant surfboard on the pier and my sisters and I stood smiling around it as if it was him!)


When we're lucky, three of us come together for an occasion, but man, when all of us are around... a part of me feels whole again and it's kind of one of the best feelings in the world.


The last time all four of us united was for Leah's wedding in Kauai two years ago


when this guy joined the family!


It's seriously really cool adding people to your family... especially when they are Oliver and are really good at finding cool things. (Do you SEE that sea urchin? I held it too!! )


We're incredibly different but intrinsically similar, which makes me proud.


Saying goodbye is always difficult when you don't know the next time you'll see each other, but we manage beautifully thanks to our parents who at least on my behalf make seeing my siblings possible ...and maybe a certain social media website.


It's like having three (plus mom and dad!) built in best friends, ones that you can make fun of, disagree with, call out on, cry on, tell on, and STILL love to death.







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