immediate family
Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.
Halo Halo in Tucson, Arizona
My two sisters and I grew up in Tucson, Arizona in the 90s. During the summer, our parents did not put us into school or camp, but left us to our own devices. We did not have the Internet yet, but we were privileged to live on an acre of undeveloped Sonoran desert. As the eldest, I haphazardly misguided my sisters into the desert realm, getting cholla cacti stuck in our feet, and harassing the poor harvester ants and western fence lizards. Later into the summer, when the dreaded hum of cicadas meant that it was too hot for us to venture outside, we usually found ourselves making alien voices in front of the stand fan, watching cartoons, or fighting. Usually it was a mixture.
By Levin Wundy4 years ago in Families
Dad's Are No Joke
My dad is in the middle, the back-row of men. To start with, I am a New Zealander, so my dad is a New Zealand man. He was born in Te Awamutu, he went to university, and he was a good tennis player. He was also extremely good at snow skiing, as his mother was born near the Taranaki mountains. We visited this area when I was little and attended a reunion for the Fleming family in New Plymouth. The picture above is the Fleming family reunion. My Grandparents are in the front row.
By Rebecca Jane Edmonds4 years ago in Families
Pizza & Gin
I drink gin because it smells like my father’s breath when he used to carry me inside—half asleep or pretending to be—from our 1999 Chevy suburban after a Friday night fish fry. My 60-lb deadweight body; light and safe in his arms. His breathing was slow, rhythmic, and it still is, but for much different reasons. He’s less strong now. Couldn't hold me heavy at 26. And that drink he loved never loved him back the same, but he can’t stop drinking it anyway. I don’t blame him– Bombay Sapphire on the rocks with two olives is kryptonite. But I love how that stinging, pine needle-y liquor smells because it reminds me of being little, before the drinking became a problem. I guess he got heavier, too.
By hannah byrne4 years ago in Families
Best yacht birthday party ideas in Dubai
Age is just a number and no matter where you are belonging from, everyone loves birthday celebrations. We know the different ways of celebrating this big day with an ultimate feeling that remains for the rest of your life. However, if you are looking for the best alternative to spend your birthday day in Dubai rent a yacht. Whether you are celebrating with your family in the daytime or decided to cut the cake with sunset hues, it’ll be going your most memorable birthday party ever. Celebrate your birthday party in Dubai and get a chance to experience the crystal-clear water, palm trees as well as iconic Dubai skyline. Moreover, with the help of a yacht rental trip, you can also get a chance to see all the other landmarks of Dubai such as Blue Waters island, Palm Jumeirah, and Ain Dubai.
By Mala Yacht4 years ago in Families
walk on water
So it's like this: We're out swimming. It's a clear day. The blue sky mirrors the blue walls of our circular, above-ground pool. It's as hot as it gets in Michigan, maybe 90 degrees. Naturally, as a ten-year-old kid out on summer break, I spend every waking moment splashing about the cool, filtered water.
By Cameron Seyj4 years ago in Families
Yellow
Sitting across from him at the dinner table, her head tilted to the side with feigned interest, she listened to the same words he had spoken earlier that day. His voice was still intoxicating, soothing and warm; his hands moving with animation and enthusiasm as he told the story of his recent encounter with a vegan waitress. She knew the punch line; she had already cringed internally knowing how the waitress would have looked down upon him with both disgust and pity. He wouldn’t have noticed, oblivious to the reactions of others. That was how he was, how he always had been. Someone once described the feeling to her as ‘yellow’; the way your heart breaks for someone when they cannot see that others are laughing at them, not with them. That once they walk away from a crowd, whom they thought they had been entertaining, the crowd would roll their eyes at them behind their back and giggle, while they go about their day with blissful ignorance. He was a good man, but so often for him she felt yellow.
By Tiffany Dahl4 years ago in Families
Find the Hero
You grew up with a father, a surrogate father, or the idea of what a father should be, or maybe none at all. Each of us has our own story. Some of them are wonderful stories, some are tragic stories, but are told through our own eyes and experiences as we had lived them.
By Steve Lance4 years ago in Families
