A Family Halloween

"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts."
Unknown

This evening, my family all got together to carve pumpkins, eat pizza, and play some games. It's funny how we've gone our separate ways as time has passed. I'm sure I haven't seen all of them together since the last holiday season, and yet we fit back into our own groove. Jessica still owns at any card game, Jacob is still the same annoying little kid, and the rest of us just kind of hang out. But I will say that one thing has changed: me.

I used to feel like I didn't belong to my family. Harsh, I know. There are two sides of the family: my mom's side and Uncle Greg's side. Our side has always been quiet and introspective, and their side has been loud, fun, and always active. Well, when these family get-togethers came around, I never felt like I belonged. This time, though, I did. I guess it just took convincing myself that they weren't different from me, and that I belong here just as much as they do.

Halloween always brings us together in a way that formal Christmas can't. We carve pumpkins, tease each other, play cards, then get all smelly and sweaty running around playing hide-and-seek. This is one of the things I'll miss when I go off to college. I can always come back to my sisters and my parents, but after this year three of us cousins will be off to college with different schedules and different priorities. I've never really thought about this aspect of my life, but I know it will take a lot to get us all together after this year.

This night has been a wonderful glimpse back about ten years, all full of nostalgia. A lot has changed, but it still all works. Maybe that's what college will be like.