Family
I bet everybody can say this but I have a very unique and special family with everybody bringing their own weirdness and special talents! Each of us is different in our own way and I couldn't imagine it being any different. Just like every family we have our issues but we push through because we know we have bigger and worse things that we are going to have to face together. What makes my family different from others though is that I have family members that aren't necessarily part of my actual family, they have just been there through everything and continue to be there. You know what I'm talking about, it's your mom and dads friends that you call Aunt and Uncle. But I wanted to share a little bit about my family and the other people that I call my family.
My Mom's Side of the Family
My grandfather is the proudest person of his family and always brags about all of us! The first thing he always says is that all 8 his grandchildren are all girls.... no joke. With my moms side of the family we have always been really close and also not lived far from each other. A tradition was created when I was a baby and that was every year all of my mom's side of the family would go to the beach for a week during the summertime, and most of the time we would end up at Wrightsville Beach. For years this has been my favorite thing to look forward to, and yes we still do this today even though some are not able to make it every year. With my grandfather always reminding us that family is the most important thing, it has become stuck in my mind and is one of my most important values now. And even though I see some family members more than others I know that they will still always be there for me no matter what happens.
My Dad's Side of the Family
Seeing my dad's side of the family is always an adventure because most of them live up in Michigan so it is always a trip to get there. Now my dad's side of the family is smaller than my mom's but my ONLY boy cousin comes from my dad's side. We don't always get to see them as often so when we do it is special and we make the most of it. When I was younger my dad's brother and now ex-wife lived in North Carolina and not far from us so growing up I was around my cousins all the time and in a way you can say that we grew up together... even though we might not be able to remember it, but we have pictures to prove it!
Adopted Family Members
Throughout life I have gained family members that aren't necessarily blood or marriage related, but that doesn't make them any less loved than the others. And for me some of my favorite members have come from moments with these people!
My Older Brother, Jason Newman, is truly the older brother that I have always wanted but never got! After my parents divorced he really helped with literally everything and we have had some pretty great times together. Whenever we go to dinner, he is there; whenever either of us has a birthday, he is there and we spend it together; and literally every other holiday we spend them together. I really appreciate the fun times we have had together and couldn't imagine not having him around! (Jason if you read this, love ya big bro!)
My Other Sister, Kaitlyn Pettey, I don't have words to describe her because she is that amazing! She has been my best friend for 11 years and has literally been there through everything, and I do mean everything. We have so many plans for our lives and want to do so many things together that there just isn't enough time to do it all. If y'all ever get to meet my other sister you will see she is an amazing human being and beautiful and gorgeous inside and out! (Love ya Kaitlyn!!)
And last but not least my other brother, Kyle Conover, is truly the funniest kid I have ever met in my entire life! He has such a bright future and is so talented that I can see him doing so many things in life. Just like Jason, he has literally been there through everything and continues to be there. I am so proud of everything he has done and continue to be proud of him and hope he knows how well he fits into our family and how much humor he brings to all of our lives (Love ya Conzi Boy!!)
The biggest thing I want to tell people is to be thankful for the family that you have because you never know when you are gonna need them or when they aren't gonna be there any longer.
Love, D
