Growing up, I was privileged. I was spoiled with the latest clothes and shoes, cell phones and computers and even a car after graduation. But most importantly, I was spoiled with family. I grew up next to cousins close in my age. I grew up surrounded by my cousins.

My dad is one of five kids and has nieces and nephews, even great nieces and nephews, of all ages. My brother and I grew up three minutes away from my Grandma’s house and spent every Sunday there having family dinner with our cousins. My brother and I are three years apart but it’s perfect because we have cousins of all ages; older, younger and even the same age as us.

On the Sundays when I couldn’t make it to family dinner, chances are I was with my family at Deep Creek Lake, where my family had a tiny trailer up on the hill, nowhere near the lake front. My mom and her cousins grew up there, spending their time with my great grandparents.

Now, a generation later, my cousins and I spend our time at the same lake, but at a different house. The time that I spend at the lake includes some of my favorite memories.

For example, spending the summer holidays together is the best.

This past weekend, my cousins all came down to the lake and we spent our time on the boat, on the jet skis and paddle boards. It was so amazing to get together and spend the holiday together.

My cousin who is closest to me in age is only three weeks older than I am, but you can believe he’s always held it over my head that he’s older than me and I, therefore, have to listen to him. Since I was born, Barrett and I have pretty much spent every waking minute together. (Even naptime was spent next to each other in a crib.) We grew up next to each other, reaching milestones together along the way. We had endless summer sleepovers that usually lasted several nights, sometimes ending up in weeks. Once my brother got old enough he joined us, but of course, the boys bonded a lot easier as we got older.

Besides Barrett, I also grew up insanely close to my cousin, Ashly. She and I spent our weekends at the lake together and even though she’s two years older than me, the age gap was never an issue with us. We grew up more like sisters and now here we are, 19 and 21, and Ashly is studying abroad and has been for the past year. She’s been traveling the world as I conquered my first year of college. Even though she’s been gone for so long, I know her and I will pick up right where we left off before she left. Her and I have always bonded over shopping and laying out in the sun at the lake. We can gossip to each other and vent about anything and everything. I know she’s a built-in best friend; she’s tied to me forever through blood.

Deep Creek and my Grandma’s house have both been amazing blessings for my brother and me, and even though we were spoiled with everything and anything we wanted, we were truly the luckiest kids to be spoiled with the best family we could’ve ever asked for.