My Favorite Five Days of the Year

The most anticipated days of the year are the five glorious days spent in Sun Valley, Idaho for the annual Child Family Reunion. It is my home away from home. The sanctuary where a large chunk of my happiest memories have been formed. Every year we do more or less the same things, but for some reason this year was especially good: Best Birthday Ever. Through my 19 years of living I've learned that some birthdays are better than others. This year takes the cake. It was perfect in every way. I got to celebrate in my favorite vacation spot with 29 of my very favorite people and I got more facebook wall posts, text messages, cards in the mail and phone calls from some of my favorite friends both near and far away than I could have ever dreamed of. I felt oh so loved. I have a premonition that 19 is going to be a great year. I can't wait to see what it holds in store for me. It's official. Alex dropped to one knee, popped the question and Allie is now sporting a ridiculously gorgeous rock on her left ring finger. Welcome to the family, Allie. I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. We conquered Mt. Baldy. Despite what you may think, this is a semi-difficult hike. After three hours of hiking, the view from the top was worth every bead of sweat that was spilt. Once a year is enough for me, though. Clay pigeon shooting. 8/25: not too shabby for a first-timer. Although a bit frustrating at first, it was oddly satisfying when I pulled the trigger and that yellow blob of mass flying through the air erupted into three different pieces and Cody (our shooting instructor) offered me a sincere "Nice Shot!"

And we finished up strong with a game night, complete with personal mini popcorn bags. Throughout the week I found that there's not a lot more humbling in life than bowling a 42, taking last place in the cherry-pit spitting contest, and scoring the same number in miniature golf as my nine year old cousins. Fortunately, my dear cousins, Sarah and Alyssa, are in the same boat as me and the three of us coined our personal motto to be: Lose at Games, Win at Life. Catchy, don't you think?

Time is a funny thing. Sometimes five days can seem like an eternity while other times five days seems to last only a second or two. These past five days took on the second option. The annual vacation up to the Valley of the Sun flew by much too quickly. I'm already going through Sun Valley/cousin withdrawals and counting down the days 'till next year.