The Family We Choose

This blog about my family wouldn't be complete without mentioning those who are just as close as family, my friends.  These are the people we don't have to love, we don't have to get along with, we don't have to build relationships with, but we choose to. We accept them for their flaws and support them in their endeavors, not because we have to but because we want to. Of all the friends that have been like family to me, there are a few in particular that I just couldn't live without. These four are my best friends, my sisters and the women I depend on when I'm away from family.

Madeline, Sam, Natalia, Me, Darya

First, we've got Madeline. Mad and I have been roommates since freshman year of college and have grown together and been through more experiences (good and bad) together than with anyone else. People often mix up our names; I've become used to answering to Madeline and she to Meaghan. But more importantly, we're there for each other, regardless of the bullshit in life, and I know we always will be. We've joked about living in the same neighborhood and raising our kids together, but at the end of the day I think there's a little truth to our jokes because we can't imagine not being close together. She'll be at my wedding, likely standing next to me as my maid of honor, and known as Auntie Madeline to my children. She's more a part of me than most people and I really couldn't live without her.

Next, there's Darya and we've lived together for almost 2 years. She's one of the least judgmental and most supportive people I have ever met, which are two truly unique characteristics of friends these days. I can talk to her forever about things plaguing me, knowing she'll give great advice or be a shoulder to lean on. She always tells me I'm not a very affectionate person, which is true, but I gave her a hug today so that speaks volumes about our friendship.

Sam is one-of-a-kind. We met after joining the same sorority freshman year and instantly clicked. Sam and I agree on almost every aspect of life-our beliefs, our upbringing, our political views, our social views, etc. We can also bitch at each other like sisters, but it never impacts our friendship. After knowing Sam for a few years, she's definitely a guarded person that doesn't open up to everyone, but she's opened up to me. We've got a pretty unique friendship and really just accept each other for who we are.

Last, but certainly not least, there is Natalia. We actually met through Sam and have been close ever since. She's the type of person you always want around and has the most infectious personality and positive outlook on life. She's the friend that you can grab a beer and laugh about life with or snuggle in bed and complain about anything with. We come from similar families with similar backgrounds and just fit together. I couldn't imagine my college experience without her.

As I near the end of college, I don't know what I'll do next year if we all don't stay in Boston. I'm not quite ready to give up the nights we spend together watching movies at my apartment or acting like fools in T's Pub. I know that even in the future, no matter where we're living or working, we'll remain as close as we are now and appreciate the time we spend together even more.

I recognize that not everyone is super close with their immediate family, but friends are just as important and can be as close as family. I can't tell you how many times I've leaned on these girls or shared things with them I didn't share with my family. No matter who you consider family, hold them close, don't take them for granted, remind them you love them. If you're feeling super sentimental, maybe even give them a hug (I keep those for very special occasions.)


As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"-AB

Let's Keep in Touch

How many times have we said "Let's keep in touch!" to our family members, especially distant family members, after a great weekend or a holiday together and never made it happen? Too many. "Remind me to call your Aunt," "Remind me to call my cousin," "Remind me to send her a birthday card." These are standard conversations we're all used to hearing. But we get busy, we get lazy, we get caught up and forget to do the things we promised we'd do. As the holidays approach and you'll likely see those family members you promised you'd keep in touch with last year, I thought I'd share a few strategies I use with my family to stay connected.

• Family email chain. This is super easy and definitely works best with immediate family. As my brother says, "the spirit of this chain is to make the communication easy; we do not need a daily update on everything but it will be nice to hear from people." We started this email chain when Dan left for Afghanistan, but it's been a great tool for everyone to update each other on different happenings.
• Adding everyone on social media. As silly as it sounds, why not follow or friend your aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings on social media? You might not want your whole family to see you chugging from a bottle of champagne, but let's be real people, that probably shouldn't be on Facebook anyway. Plus, social media is a great way for everyone to keep in touch. Since I have almost 50 cousins on my mom's side, I often forget where they go to college or when their birthdays are, but an extra reminder from the social media we are already checking daily goes a long way. 
• Make time. It's easy to get caught up in our own lives, and I'm guilty of that for sure. But making time for each other is the best way to keep a family close. My family started monthly family dinners, where we all get together and just catch up. They've ranged from fancy dinners in the North End to pizza parties at my parents house. We always invite friends and significant others and put aside our crazy lives, even if just a few hours. Maybe monthly isn't feasible for your family, so make it every other month or twice a year or even use a Google Hangout to virtually eat at the same time. All that matter is that you make time for each other.

As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"-AB

Quinn Family Addition (Coming Soon!)

The Quinn Family baby boy is coming within the next few days, and the latest update is that he already weighs over 9 pounds (what a chunk!) My family played a guessing game with birth date, weight and name-and we've all already lost!

And just for fun, to brighten your Hump Day, check out this Buzzfeed post about a baby and a dog.

Does anyone have any guesses for the newest additions birth date, weight and name? Post in the comment section below!

3 Times I Felt "So Adult" As A Kid

While reading Buzzfeed the other day, I stumbled across a great article: "14 Times You Felt 'So Adult' As A Kid." Immediately, stories from my childhood popped into my head so I thought I'd share vignettes from just a few.

• Buying your first CD with your hard-earned allowance money. I'll never forget this day or the lyrics to any of the songs on Britney's "Baby One More Time" album. My dad, Pat and I hopped into our tiny red two-door pickup truck and went to the redemption center to cash in Bud heavy bottles for precious coins. After we received the loot, my dad took us to Strawberries' music store and let us each pick our own CD-I chose Britney Spears and Pat chose Lui Vega's "Mambo Number 5" and we spent the rest of that Saturday jamming out to our Walkman CD players. And now I feel really old because Strawberries, CD's and Walkman no longer exist.
• When you were allowed to prepare your first meal by yourself. As the youngest of five kids, we'll just say my upbringing was a little more "lax" than your standard. I can't remember how old we were (old enough), but for some reason Pat and I were home alone and hungry for some breakfast. As the older child, Pat assured me that he'd take care of breakfast for us and popped some Eggo waffles into the toaster oven...along with the plastic plate that our mom always served them on. Well, plastic and heat don't quite interact so well and we had a bit of a situation on our hands. After that, we were allowed only cereal or granola bars for breakfast and banned from using the stove or toaster oven until an adult was home. 
• The first time you got to put some fancy lipstick on. I could write about my experiences with makeup, but a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Me (middle) with my cousins Grace (left) and Eily (right) with blush, blush and more blush, just the tiniest touch of lipstick and matching bathing suits.

Do you have any great childhood stories about wanting to grow up? Comment or share!

As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family."-AB

5 Reasons Siblings Are The Best

Can't live with them, can't live without them. That's how my teenage self would likely explain my sentiments towards my brothers. They were infuriating, outrageous, over-protective and downright annoying. But, they're also the biggest support system and best friends I could ever ask for-and here's 5 reasons siblings rock.

• You'll always have a cheering section. Even when you'd reaaaaallllly rather not have your 25-year-old brother yelling, "KILL HER!!!!" at your high school tennis match, you will. But it's only because he cares and wants to see you succeed. 

• No matter how bad you mess up, it's only a matter of time before someone else does too. Fail your history test? No worries. It's likely someone else is going to get caught drinking Mom's pinot grigio and or Dad's skunked beer, which will probably be a bigger issue. And then someone else might get a speeding ticket or caught skipping class and you're in the clear. When you've got siblings, take heart in knowing there's a finite amount of time that you're the dumbest.

• Holidays are more fun. Seriously, who wants to be an only child on Christmas? Awesome, I'll sit here, opening presents by myself, unknowingly showing them to the people who bought them for me. No way, siblings always make it exciting and chaotic. *Cue the "Dale got hulk hands?!" video from stepbrothers.*

• People support your ideas, no matter how bad they are. One time Pat encouraged me to open a candle making store and even helped find a property, because someone was definitely going to rent to an 8-year-old or invest in the super lucrative business of candle making. But his support made me feel like I could be the next Yankee Candle Company, which was better than any profit I'd have made anyway. 

• Unconditional, lifelong friendships. In all honesty, siblings are amazing. They're the best friends, the best supporters, the best entertainment. They'll make you laugh when you want to cry, they'll take your side even when you're wrong, they'll fend off anyone who even comes close to hurting you. They'll motivate you, they'll teach you, they'll pave the way or follow in your footsteps. And eventually, they'll fall in love, get married, give you new siblings (finally sisters, in my case), and the honor of becoming an aunt (or uncle). 

What do you think is the best part about having siblings? Comment or share!

As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family."-AB