Family

Today Kelly's Korner is having Show Us Your Life - Family. Check out the other blogs on her site. Here is a quick overview of the family I grew up in!!


Annual Family Vacation to NC Mountains - 2010

Mama and Daddy
Sister Jami and Brother in Law Reynolds

My nephews

My Mother in Law Gayle

I have been blessed with the gift of an amazing family. I know for some people the word family does not conjure up happy memories, but for me, it does. I am the oldest of two girls. My sister is three years younger and even though we are very different, we are also very much alike and next to my husband, she is my best friend. We grew up in a small town in North Carolina. My mom stayed at home with us and my dad and grandfather co-owned a sporting goods store. They sold hunting and fishing equipment, so even though there is not an athletic bone in my body, I learned at an early age how to shoot birds, squirrels, and deer. What can I say? My dad didn't have any sons! We grew up in the church and my earliest memories revolve around First Baptist of Hamlet.

When my husband and I got married in 1995 we moved to Florida. No one in my family has ever moved away. I have one cousin who left town, but she came back two years later. Seriously. My sister and her husband live in the house we grew up in and my parents live less than 1/4 of a mile up the street. My grandmother lives less than 1/4 of a mile in the other direction in the house my mom grew up in. I am also very fortunate to have had all four of my grandparents and one great-grandmother living until 2004. Then, one after the other, they all passed away except my maternal grandmother. She is 87 and will likely outlive us all with her energy!

I feel abundantly blessed in so many ways. So many wonderful memories of growing up in a small town. Spending time with family and close friends.

Now that I live so far away, I do not get to go home nearly as often as I would like, but every time I do it is just like old times. Many of my high school friends still live there and it is always a treat when they stop by to say hello when they see our car in the driveway.

My sister is married and has two precious little boys. One is 9 and the other is 9 months. They are best buddies with my two youngest boys.

I am also blessed to have a wonderful mother in law. My husband grew up in Alabama and we met when he was working for the company that bought the hospital in our small town. He moved around a lot but they settled in Birmingham when he was a teenager, so that is where he calls home. We love to visit there as well!