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This is my family:

I love this family picture despite the fact that I (bottom: second from right) was only partially through my weight loss at the time this photo was taken. (Oh don’t we love to have our pictures taken when we are uncomfortable in our bodies?!)

We’ve been told there is a lot of family resemblance so I’m sure you can pick out my parents, 3 sisters, 1 brother, 2 brother-in-laws, a sister-in-law and 3 nephews.

I guess you would call us a rather traditional family in that my parents have been married (they were high school sweethearts) for 42 years and we’ve never known anything other than stability when it came to their marriage. For sure, I do not mean in any way to imply this is the model for American families today – only that I feel very blessed that my parents have been together for so long.

My genealogy: From my father’s side, my family history is English and French. My mother’s family on both sides are German.

My Parents: There is SO much to say about my parents, some of which will come up in later posts for sure. As I write this I am living in their house (MI) while they travel for the winter in their motor home. A retirement dream that has come early due to an accident 4 years ago. (They were hit by a drunk driver while on my Dad’s Harley) In this post, I will just say that I could not appreciate them more than I do today. Just the other day, my sisters and I were discussing how different the outcome could have been 4 years ago and how blessed we are that we still have them in our lives. They have raised us well and they have taught us so much about love, values and the importance of family.

My Sisters: Ah…what can I say about having sisters? If you have one or several, you can probably relate to what I will say here. (I hope that you can!) I cannot imagine my life without my sisters. They are among my best friends, my greatest allies, my wise counselors, my mentors and sometimes my partners in (non-harmful) crime! 😉 (as is my brother by the way) I love my sisters! The love and loyalty I feel for each one of them is almost indescribable. They have been there for me through good and bad. For sure there have been fights and arguments over the years – don’t get me wrong, but at the end of the day, they are always who I turn to when I need an ear, advice or someone to be silly with.

My Brother: My relationship with my brother was different for many years. How I feel for him now when I think of what it must have been like to grow up with a houseful of girls. I also cringe when I think of how excluded he probably felt at times. He and my youngest sister came along when we three older girls were old enough to help in taking care of them and we did! They were so cute and we were so proud of them. As adults, my brother and I have grown close and I’m so happy to say that I feel the same closeness with him as I do with my sisters. I had never thought of what it would be like when he got married and brought another “sister” into our crazy mix. Amanda grew up with 2 brothers and no sisters…imagine inheriting us! LOL She says that she never imagined that she would be so blessed to have a bunch of crazy sisters! We love her – she is now our baby sis!

On Being the Oldest: Reading about birth order is so interesting to me. I definitely fit the role of the first born in that I am enterprising, ambitious, logical and have been known to be a bit of a perfectionist. (I am working on this as I think it can weigh one down!) In my younger days, I held the role of class president for 2 different years and I cannot imagine being without my entrepreneurial spirit. 10 years separate myself and youngest sister, Janell. Recently I had the chance for the first time in our adult life (When I went away to college, she was only eight) to live near her and really get to know her as the successful adult woman that she is today. (as well as experience the planning and wonderful event of her wedding) Just for fun…a pic of me with my “baby” sis that I LOVE!

My Thoughts on Having My Own Family: This is one of those thoughts that a 39 year old soon to be 40 “could” be slightly anxious about. 😉 I’m not. Not to say that I’ve not had my moments. I will discuss my singleness in another post, but for the most part I am OK with this today. I feel confident that God does have a husband for me and I pray for my future mate and that God would continue to shape me into the woman that He has created me to be. I will also discuss my 12+ career as a nanny. I do love children and I’m actually thankful that I am not a woman that has the yearning to have her own children. (point #2 of potential anxiousness at turning 40) Perhaps there is a reason why I helped to raise so many great children over the years. I am open to what the wish of my future husband might be in the area of raising children and am not opposed to adoption if my age were to become a factor.

I hope from this post you can tell just how much I love my family! They are the ones that have always been there for me and they are there for me today. One of my favorite family pics from years ago…overlooking the mighty Mississippi River in the small town where I grew up: (I am second from left)

Tell Me About Your Family: One of my reasons for doing the 40 to 40 series is that I want to get to know you all better also! Yay! Please take a moment to follow this link to the forum and let me know about your family! This is your chance to totally brag about your wonderful kids! (Do be sure that you’ve registered via the link at the top right of the forum – you need to do this in order to post) I can’t wait to hear from you!