hey there i'm back from my 11 week run at camp seafarer, maybe i'll get to that later if not i'll leave it in my memories and be content knowing i could never put into words the sheer magic of that wonderful place... last night we went for homemade ice cream at our best family friends' house, i won't get into the connections of how our parents have been lifelong friends and now the second generation is joining in. we were all just sitting around the table chatting, laughing enjoying each other's company and i almost wanted to burst into tears. i was feeling so extremely thankful for these people in my life. for those second parents who love me unconditionally, for best friends who seem like brothers and sisters and have been through everything with me, for grandparents who seemed like my own and have given me a glimpse of what it means to have grandparents since i never had the opportunity to experience mine, for extended family that pulls you in and treats you as their own. its those moments, sitting around the kitchen table on a humid but cool summer evening that date back to my childhood and that i look forward to carrying me through the rest of my summers and falls and winters, because its these people that love me that continue to bring so much happiness and joy to my heart. i was reading about our definitions of "family" today, and how they change as we grow up, and that could not be more spot on. my family extends beyond the people with whom i live, and i need to thank God more for blessing me with the greatest family i could ever have imagined.