life is so good.

life is so good.

i know i sound like a motivational poster or an overenthusiastic child but honestly my life has been so freaking good recently.

first, my setting has changed. from tulsa and/or norman oklahoma to indianapolis and/or carmel indiana. why the change in scenery? because im visiting the best family in the world and it just so happens to be mine. (thank goodness for that too, it would be uncomfortable if i visited the unknown runner-ups.) ive been here since tuesday and ive had the time of my life. no, ive never felt this way before. this i swear. its the truth. and i owe it all to yoooouuuu. (okay ill stop.)

second, ive been hanging out every day with a variety of amazingly awesome, fantastic, funny and cute cousins. their ages range from 5-17 which feels totally wierd because im one of the oldest (definitely not the tallest) but i love it because theyre so much fun. clara, in particular, is cuter than a box of bunny/puppy hybrids and shes got some major sass. when i was helping her with her math homework, apparently i was getting a little too helpful and she slowly put her pencil down, looked at me and said, "i can do this you know, im in third grade, not first grade.." according to the rest of the fam, shes just like i was when i was her age which makes me love her that much more. and then theres jilli. honestly, shes the coolest cat ever. i dont know what it is, the similarity in ages, the mutual interest in theater, the ginger hair, but weve always been super close and this trip is no exception. when we arrived, she bounded out of the house and i, out of the car and we both squealed ultrasonic and hugged for about five minutes. shes like my twin, only she was born two years later and in a different state with different parents. so, not really..

third, ive been able to hang out with my nana and poppy a ton. typefont cannot express how much i adore my gparents. my poppy is super into history and the marines and gruffly singing old songs and when he combines the three, he comes up with the best stories in the world. aesop has nothing on sam macnulty. my nana is a wonderful contrast to poppy. shes sweet, adorable, has the cutest nana laugh and loves to talk about shopping and the grandkids and takes pictures all the time. nana is never without the camera and she gets a new one on a seemingly five month cycle. when i was growing up, their motto was. "if you want it, you got it!" now tell me those are not wonderful people..

fourth, my aunts are the best people north of the equator. my yaya (shes not an old jewish lady, its just a long family story) is freaking awesome. shes got all the makings of a soccermom with a minivan but shes so much better. shes totally real. she picked mary kate and i up from church and was telling the funniest stories while we were running errands. ive never had that much fun completing menial tasks. my other aunt, aunt jori, is sweeter than a bowl of sugar topped with buttercream icing with a dollop of whipped cream and a tiny little bunny. ive never met a more amazing woman who genuinely cares about everyone she meets and can show it in such a non-production way. i just want to hug her forever.


the only thing i dont like about these three families is the problem of deciding who to stay with. whenever youre with one family, you miss the other two. thats why its best when we all get together and hang out, like were doing tonight. my nana and poppy celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary this past new years eve and were all belatedly celebrating it tonight at a fancy italian place.
so lets figure this in mathematical terms...
italian food + best family in the world + me = feelings that cannot be described.

life is so damn good.