Your families

[danax6]

Originally Posted by amber

That is so true. I find it interesting that though you have a big family, you really only claim a few to be close to. But like I said before, how could you keep track of that if you never grew up with them? And there are so many?

Oh so many. I don't even know all their names. One of my uncles committed suicide when I was 5 or 6 years old, but I never knew him, because he was a drunk, and my dad didn't really want us to hang around him. He had 4 kids though, had never met them, never knew their names, but recently his oldest daughter contacted me over the internet. Turns out she lives 4 streets down from where we live. I've seen her at the supermarket a few times, that's how I recognized her when I saw the picture in her profile.

I find it interesting how everyone has disowned their mom, also. JK.

Everyone has disowned my mother. Even my brothers are starting to at this point. They're only 9 and 12, so I guess they're too young to really understand what's going on or what kind of person she really is, but she and her husband recently got divorced, and they want to live with their father. The oldest is over 12, so he gets to choose, but the youngest will have to stay with my mother for the time being. It's a horrible custody battle at the moment, for which I will have to appear in court soon.

Do you guys have special holiday traditions and get togethers? Special food?
Thanks for telling me all about your family. I can imagine if I knew you in person there would be tons of stories...

We always get together for the holidays. It's always this little small group of people, and I love it. My youngest sister lives with a foster family, seeing our mom died two years ago and my dad was in no position to take her in at that point, so we have a bit more scheduling to suffer through to make sure she can make the trip down here. She never celebrates the holidays with her foster family, so you can imagine how close they all are. We've had this tradition for years, where we each draw up a name and then have to make that person something special. Then on Christmas Eve we have a biiiiig fondue, after which we open the presents/special gifts.

Next weekend all seven of us are going to a cabin in the Belgian woods. If you guys don't hear from me that following Monday... I will have been eaten by the Blair Witch.