Family is EVERYTHING

I have been raised to know that family is the most important thing. Family really is everything. I am so lucky when it comes to family, I really am. If you want to get to know me and my family a little more, please keep reading.

I was born December 15, 1988 in a small town, actually my favourite town. If you know me, you know what it is. I was an awful baby, sorry mom and dad, but they made it through that tough time (I should actually say I made it through that time without being shipped off) At that time, my parents were renting a place in that small town. The house owners had told my parents that they wanted the house for their daughter, but my parents are positive it was actually because I cried so much and they just wanted us out of there. I cried so much, my parents actually brought me to the hospital and the doctor basically told them, no idea...good luck. So, I was maybe a little bit of a challenging baby.

I became a toddler, and didn't stop causing grieve for my parents. I was a busy kid, a lot like my dear Olivia. My parents said I would be the kid dancing on the table at my older sisters birthday parties, I guess you could say I was the life of the party.

As I became older I would say I stopped causing as much grief for my parents. Aside from them trying to wake me up in the mornings for school, I sure did love my sleep, still do. I have always been very open with my parents, so I never caused any fears with them as to what I am up to. Anytime I would go to a party, I would tell them where and with who. I never lied, I always wanted them to know exactly what I was doing.

In school I was more into the social life than academic life, I didn't do horrible in school but I also didn't do great. I did have a lot of friends though!

Now as an adult, I am still very close to my parents. I probably share way too much with my mom, but we always have. We have a very open and honest relationship, we are the family that talk about our feelings. I will always remember my friends thinking it was so odd to kiss my family and say I love you whenever we would leave the house. It was odd to me that families don't do that, it's just what I have grown up to.

You have already met my husband and my girls, so now let's meet the rest of my family.

Let's start off with my mom, Wendy. My world, my therapist, my life line, seriously my everything. My mom was a very hard worker, she worked in a nursing home for 37 years. She worked days and afternoons, and she would also work every other Christmas. This was something our family had to adjust to, but we were always well taken care of in that time.

My mom and I are very similar, she is sensitive, a planner, worries (maybe a little more than I worry), she loves her family beyond belief and she is always putting others before herself. I think our similarities bring us closer together, but they can also cause us to bicker a little more than we should. Watching my mom with my girls is something I adore, and I look forward to every morning visit we have. She is known as Ma to Olivia, at first my mom thought it was odd because it is so close to mom, but I see it as a relationship she built with her. I love that she is called Ma, Grandma to the other kids.

My mom loves to bake and is very good at it, I get that love and talent from her. My mom can talk to anyone, a lot like myself, and she knows everyone. It is very rare that she doesn't know someone who has a connection to our small town, or the ones around it.

My dad, Barry, is a goofy, fun lovable guy. You knot the type of dad that would get down on the floor and play Barbies non-stop, dress up for tea parties? That was my dad. Now, I get to see him do that with my girls and it brings back the best memories.

Growing up, he was always the life of the party. He would make everyone laugh because he was just such a goofy guy. He is much more quiet now, don't get me wrong he can still get us laughing, but in a group setting he is usually sitting back and observing now. My dad and sister are both pretty similar, both smart and enjoy being homebodies. My dad is my favourite singer. He also loves the Leafs, like absolutely loves them. He has his jerseys that he wears every game, a home jersey for home games and an away jersey for away games. He is committed.

He is also a chocolate freak, if it is covered in chocolate he will gladly eat all of it. He is smart about that too, he always told me as a kid that Turtles were actual crushed up turtles. This was so scary to me, so every Halloween all my turtles would go to him. Well played dad. He is also the best french fry maker ever, so delicious.

My sister, Mel is 3 years older than me, and we are actually pretty different. She is insanely smart, like actually in a gifted program in school for how smart she is. She is a much more logical thinker, I am more of an emotional thinker. She is very career focused, as well as family focused. She isn't as social, she prefers to stay in wearing her housecoat while watching reruns of Friends. She has two beautiful children, my niece and nephew. Our parenting styles are different from each other, which sometimes can cause some tense moments. I am extremely open, sometimes too open, and my sister is more reserved.

We do have things in common too, like being a mom. I go to her for a lot of my questions. If either of my girls have something going on, I will reach out to get her opinion. I admire her knowledge she has for everything, but it really pays off when it has anything to do with children.

Her and I also both love fashion, although our likes for fashion are a little different. She likes to pull in a little more of a vintage vibe into her style, picture Phoebe from Friends, that is basically my sisters fun fashion style.

One thing that has always brought us close together, aside from the obvious of family, is our love for Hanson. We are both huge Hanson fans, she has always loved Taylor and I have always gone back and forth from Zac and Isaac. Thankfully, I never had an interest in her main squeeze. We go to their concerts together, which I love. Even as adults we meet in the city, go for dinner and off we go to sing our hearts out. Those three brothers have always made us closer, and I am so thankful for that. Fun fact: My sister use to actually make fun of me for liking Hanson when they first came out, now look at her.

My sister has 2 children, Ellianna and Rieker.

Elli is a horror, Halloween lover. If it's black and scary, she is all for it. Which is funny because my sister is so not like that at all. Elli is very similar to my sister in other ways, she keeps to herself more. She is extremely smart. She enjoys playing her games, where she has many virtual friends!

Rieker is a sports lover, hockey being number 1. I have always seen Rieky as a mini Papa (my dad) Hockey and chocolate are his favourites. He is more like me, more outgoing and social. He can make friends with anyone he sees.

I love these two so much!

My mom and dad both had very well paying jobs, which meant my sister and I were spoiled rotten. We went on a lot of trips, and got basically anything we wanted. They gave us an amazing life, full of love and anything we could ever need. Now, they give that to their 4 grandchildren. We are truly blessed.

Growing up we would go to our Grandmas, and our Nanny and Poppys. Let's start with my Grandma.

This is my mom's mom, and she was the cutest, sweetest, but packs a punch type of lady. She had the whitest hair, which was always done so perfectly. She read a book once which had a bird in it named Sammy J, that is where my nickname came from. I miss hearing her calling me Sammy J so bad.

She loved cardinals, everything in her house had those adorable red birds on it. So now cardinals are our families thing. My Grandma always made a wonderful dinner for us all, which we would enjoy around a table filled with loved ones. There was the big table, the adult table, and a small table, the kids table. I loved the kids table, my sister and I, my two cousins, Joey and Justin, and our Aunt Donna would always sit together. My cousins were always getting into mischief at the kids table, and my Aunt would go along with them. We would laugh, and keep all our secrets from the adults. What happened at the kids table, stayed at the kids table.

My Uncle Bob would always organize some sporting game for us to play. My sister and I were not into sports, but playing as a family was just too fun to miss out on. My Grandma had a beautiful big property, so it always gave us plenty of space to run and play.

My Uncle Brian is an amazing woodworker, he lived with my Grandma so all his woodwork was at her house. I always went in to admire all his newest creations. So talented.

My Grandma unfortunately passed away, and we tried to get together as much as possible at my Uncles house. My Aunt Joanne has also passed away, and family gatherings just felt a little different without the two of them there. Hopefully once it is safe to do so, we can do another family dinner.

My Nanny and Poppy, my dad's parents, was always a much different get together. They are from Newfoundland, and they live up to the idea you have about Newfies. They are wild, fun and so loud! Get togethers there as children was always a blast, everyone was just laughing and drinking, and I loved every moment of it. I remember as a kid, my Nanny would hang chocolates from the ceiling at Christmas. I loved this, except I was too short and always had to get an adult to get it for me.

Their house is always filled with love and music, my Uncle John plays guitar and sings very well. He always brings his guitar and pulls it out at some point throughout the gathering. You know you are in trouble when Aunt Debbie starts to sing, she has the enthusiasm and that's all that matters!

They love salted meats, and I do too! So delicious. My Nanny is the type of person that makes sure everyone feels welcome. That means go grab yourself a drink from the fridge, their house is your house and I have always felt that way. She really has a way to make you feel welcome in her house. This house is always full of people, we have a big family plus some other people that we have claimed as family. I have always admired this about her. My Poppy worked with a guy named Pippy, he didn't have a family, so what did my Nanny and Poppy do? They took him in. He lived with them and he now had a family. That's my grandparents. Always making sure everyone feels welcome and loved. This is also where the love part comes into our family. You will never leave their house without a huge kiss and a "God loves ya" from my Nanny. They are full of love, and have no shame in showing it.

When I got married, honestly even before that, I gained a new family. This family I gained is a perfect addition to my life in so many ways.

My mother-in-law, Wendy, no that is not a mistake both my mom and Justin's mom are named Wendy. She is a mom to three boys so when a girl came onto the scene, she was over the moon excited. You should have seen her excitement when we announced that her grand-babies were girls, she finally gets to play Barbies instead of Lego! Wendy is like me in the way she loves to host parties, she is happy when her house is full of friends and family. Their house is the house people just drop in to say hi, and I love it! She always has wine and beer chilled for all her guests.

She is so calm, I try to mimic her in this way. I admire how easy-going she is, but I guess she had to be with three boys running around. The stories I have heard about Justin and his brothers, give me anxiety just thinking about it!

My father-in-law, John or Big-John as many call him, is a big teddy bear. Not for me, that would be weird, but for Isabelle and Olivia. When you think of a tough, intelligent, hard working and problem solving type of guy, you will think of Big John. He grew up on a farm, and he has so many stories about his childhood. He can literally solve any problem. John can be a little scary at first, because of his height but believe me he is a softy. Don't believe me? Just watch him with the girls, you will quickly see he is far from scary. Although, he is very protective over his family so stay clear of that or you will see a not so cuddly bear come out. The girls love Grandpa, especially when he takes them on his 4-wheeler. Grandpa has the best toys for the girls!

Justin's oldest brother is named John, referred to as John boy. John lives in a condo in the city with his partner, Matt.

John is a lover of plants and RuPaul's Drag Race. He is very knowledgeable about the city he lives in, going for visits is always such an interesting trip. I learn so much every time I visit. John is also very tech-savvy, so he is normally my go to for any questions I may have, and I have a lot. They have a beautiful condo together, full of stunning pieces. They are both very much into decor.

Matt is a very intelligent, sophisticated and funny guy. He and I get along great, and are able to talk about life so easily. I find him so easy to talk to. He is an architect, and loves yoga. Him and John are great together, they have been together the same amount of time as Justin and I.

Our first time going to their place with Isabelle, John made sure to baby proof his house as much as possible. Their house is full of sharp corners and really heavy/fancy things. She ended up getting hurt, but not on anything out of the norm. She ended up hurting herself on the sliding door, go figure. Isabelle loves going to their place, and asks often if we can go visit her Uncle John and Uncle Matt.

I am so lucky to have John and Matt as my brother-in-laws, and the girls are so lucky to have them as her Guncles. They are both so loved.

Justin's other brother, who is also older than him, is named Chris. Christopher as his parents call him. He is SO much like Justin, I see many similarities in them often. Even the way they smile, the things they say, the way they think, they are incredibly similar to each other. They are also both very quiet. Chris is also very similar to his dad, they both have the same body type. He can also be seen as scary because of his stature, but again he really isn't scary at all. Chris is incredible talented, if you ever need any work done on your house, he is your guy. He has an insane amount of knowledge and can also do the hard labour needed. Olivia just LOVES her Uncle Chris.

Chris is married to Elizabeth, who is a very fun, sweet and talented person. Her laugh is contagious. Her and I also get along really well, the love she has for my girls is outstanding. Elizabeth is a vet assistant and on the side a very talented photographer, our most recent family photos were done by her! I love sitting down, with a glass of wine and just chatting with her. Auntie Liz is a huge hit with the girls.

My in-laws are pretty different than my family. They are not ones to plan much, they are more easy going. I love to plan, like my mom, so I am usually the one within my in-laws family to make the plans. Usually a month before, but that's just me! They always have a fridge full of alcohol for their guests, my family doesn't drink. I do really love having endless amounts of wine poured into my glass, and Wendy will do just that. My family talk about our feelings a lot, that doesn't happen as often in my other family. I love you and kisses aren't as easy to come by with my in-laws, except for with the girls, but when it does happen it means the world.

I honestly feel I have the best balance in my two families, and am insanely lucky with everyone I have in my life.

Family is everything, blood or not. Family is my world.

SS