Christmas in September

A few weeks ago, the AZ contingent of my family drove from this...

Pick your choice of any desert location, Phoenix to LA

to this...

Santa Monica Pier

and then Christmas in September happened...

(Please excuse the iPhone-quality photos. When you are juggling two nieces a camera doesn't seem worth it for a dinner out.)

In a few short days, my favorite eight people and me filled our lives with nonstop calories, belly-ache laughter, sunburns, and lots and lots of storytelling. For the first time in years my brothers and I were able to celebrate my dad's birthday, with him, in-person. Novel concept, huh? 

It's amazing how present I can be, how much I can cherish, and how truly joyful I can be for forty-eight hours, when I simply recognize how rare it is for us all to be together. Mid-way through the trip I realized that we haven't all been together for more than a meal excluding holidays and big family events (baptisms, weddings, etc.) since my middle brother moved three years ago. Oh my goodness.

Needless to say, I cherished every bit of family bonding time. I attribute my love of these special moments to my status as baby of the family. I adore nothing more than consistency and tradition. With that being said, I have had to learn to accept this transitional times in our lives. A lot has changed as my brothers and I have entered and almost left (eek) our 20s. Life partners have been added, babies have been born, and 2/3 of us have moved across state lines.

What hasn't changed is our value of these people in the picture above. My relationships with my brothers has only improved in adulthood, and we all still call our parents almost daily for advice, support, or to simply share a ridiculous moment. 

I just edited our beach photos from this fabulous adventure, and I was overwhelmed with how much I love these people. God is good. I will never truly be able to express how grateful I am for every single one of them. 

And the countdown begins 'til the real Christmas (92 days)...