When the word “family” comes to mind, a lot of memories rush to my head; laughter, loudness, but most of all, entertaining. I have so many memories when it comes to my family, whether it be camping, hanging out for birthdays, graduation, or escape rooms. There are endless stories to tell, but I would like to take a chance to share some of the memories that stick out in my mind the most.

Camping was our family tradition. We used to go 2-4 times every summer, I looked forward to it the most out of anything. My cousins and I would play candy bar bingo, card games, even Catopoly (Monopoly but with cats, yes we love cats). Not to say every game went well, because fights did break out more often than not, but that did not stop us. My cousin and I are very competitive, especially when it comes to board games. My sister and other cousin would hate to play with us because the board would either up flipped or one of us was bragging about the fact that we won, but that did not stop us from dragging them into the game next time.

We would have s’mores at night while my uncle made up funny stories to tell, or my cousin would do the chicken dance. I will not go into detail about the time one of my cousins got the inside of a glow stick in his mouth and nose..that memory sticks out in my mind to say the least. I was always so upset when we had to leave, I would cry because all I wanted to do was spend time with my family, but I knew it would never be the last time.

For birthdays, we would simply hangout at someones house, swim, and have fun together. I can remember all the family games we played; cribbage, lawn darts, five crowns, and farkle. Size was not an issue in our family because although there are a lot of us, everyone was always included because there was always a cribbage tournament going on, or a game of five crowns.

Graduation was one of the more bittersweet times we spent time together. I was so excited to see my family, but it began to set in that me and two of my cousins would be leaving for college sooner than later. This did not stop the fun, and I do not remember it as a sad time. We had lots of great laughs, remembering all the stupid and funny stuff my cousins and I did as kids.

For those of you who do not know what an escape room is, you pay to get locked in a room where there are clues and locks that you must figure out in order to escape the room. At first, it began as something to do as a family for my sister’s birthday, but it soon became an addiction. We always wanted to do another room, although it was difficult to do 12 in one room because everyone was talking at once while no one was listening, but that’s what made it entertaining, and this became a new family tradition.

I am proud to say I have no bad memories with my family. Anytime I think about them, I have happy thoughts, and begin to laugh at some of the memories. They have gotten me through so much. Although I am in college now, that has not stopped me from keeping snapchat streaks with my cousin, or texting my aunts, or face-timing my sister and cats. My family has always been close, no matter how long we went without seeing each other, and I am so proud to call them my family.