Wednesday

ohana

if you don't like happy endings, this post is not for you. but before you click the little red x in the corner, i will comfort you in the fact that this post has nothing to do with romance. au contraire. curious? then read on, my friends.

this past year has made me realize how wonderful a family i have. not everyone gets along as well as we do, & not everyone disagrees over the stupidest things like us. we look nothing alike to some people yet others think some of us could be twins. there's 7 of us total-- God's favorite number. it's a sign.




strong willed, determined, [cool] geek

First off, is my older sister, Amanda. We've always known she was born to be a writer. And my does she write. Quite excellently, too. She also knows practically everything about social networking & media. She's my "Technology for Dummies" manual.

To talk about Amanda I need to mention the [almost] eighth addition to my family: Mr. Jerod Jarvis. If there were a perfect love story [besides the Princess Bride, of course] it would be theirs. One would think ten years is plenty of time to move on from a junior high crush. But no. Today they are closer than ever & happily engaged... a beautiful example of twu wuv.


creative, dreamer, grounded

My baby sis, Mary Ann, is no longer a baby. She's a babe. Taller than me & the beauty of the fam, she is a killer good listener--one of many reasons why so many people are comfortable coming to her for help. 

Sis & I practically do everything together-- random crafts, late night runs to Wal Mart for chocolate, & obnoxiously singing the Prince of Egypt.
 We find everything hilarious & laugh uncontrollably. Funny how I tried to convince her to run away when we were little... I couldn't imagine life without her now.

compassionate, accepting, goofball

Lukester Baby Boy aka Luke [it's what we called him when he was a baby; don't judge our childlike innocence] has grown up so much in the last few years. It seems like only yesterday he was the chubster of the family, constantly needing attention & annoying me like only little brothers can.

Luke is really mature for his age. He's strong in his faith & refuses to conform. He keeps people accountable without even knowing it, befriends the "unlikeable," & has the perfect punch line for everything. He also has great taste in music & goes running with his slowpoke sis [me]. i look up to him in so many ways.

sensitive, imaginative, intelligent

Matthew's the youngest in the family but surpasses all of us in imagination & knowledge. He remembers the smallest details, quotes Adventures in Odyssey & movie lines in everyday conversation, & knows more about animals than anyone probably cares to hear. He also has quite the collection of stuffed animals-- the newest additions are Craig [Angry Birds pig] & Arthur [a hippo neck pillow].

Matt's always been my little buddy... he held my hand wherever we went & cuddled with me during movies. Now I lean my head on his shoulder & his hand is bigger than mine. He's growing up so much but he'll always be a kid at heart. And his Lego creations? Don't even get me started. 

The Baker family wouldn't even be without these two incredibles: my parents, Glenn & Julie. They've sacrificed so much & have shaped each of us into the [almost] adults we are today.

I've always loved telling people what my dad does for a living because it's so cool; who wouldn't want to be an airplane pilot? My dad travels a lot but is one of the most dedicated dads I know. He brings home souvenirs from his trips & calls every day. Dad is the math brain of the family; he's the reason I passed any math classes in high school. And you can always count on him to provide the corny jokes. We roll our eyes & offer the courtesy laugh, but secretly, we love them.

Some people don't give my mom enough credit because she's a stay-at-home mom. But try doing what she does for a day & you'll realize she is one of the hardest workers in the homemaker & career worlds combined. She's also struggled with health problems for a long time-- but that hasn't broken her love for the Lord or stopped her from [successfully] homeschooling 5 kids. She's usually the one who doesn't get my dad's corny jokes so we have to explain them--and then tease her about it constantly.

I remember times when my family disagreed, hated each other & refused to make amends. But now, I consider them my closest friends. They are the reason I can call a place home, can be thankful for love, can truly be myself. They'll never know how much they mean to me, so I guess this blog post will just have to do.

See, told you there'd be a happy ending. 



"the family--that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to." --dodie smith

1 comment:

  1. Beautifully written. Honored that you included me here - it really means a lot. You really do have an awesome family.

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