Hometown

   I came on here to write a post to you all. I wanted to write about my time in Wisconsin, in the town of Saint Germain and everything that I did, but I've decided to talk about something greater than all that. For the past few years, I've taken the six hour drive up from Elgin, Illinois to Saint Germain, Wisconsin with the Martin clan. I call them the Martin clan because they are a family of eleven, and everywhere they go, they get noticed. It could be their giant white twelve-seater van, or it could be the way that Elizabeth screams when Jacob pushes her to move faster. Either way, I'm stuck with them because they're my family.

   Even so, that sounds kind of crazy, right? A normally only child, whose favorite place is in the solitude of his bedroom to be with a family of eleven? What business do I have being smack dab in the middle of the Brady Bunch? But that's just it. I feel at home with them; I feel more myself than I could ever be when I'm in my own comfort zone. They're always on the go. The Martins have learned that in order to refrain from tearing each other to pieces, they have to keep themselves occupied. And in Wisconsin, that means fishing, boating, shooting guns, roasting marshmallows, watching movies, and reading books, just to name a few...

  And I'm with them for almost all of it, but some days I choose to stay behind and snuggle up under the covers in the coveted "Back Bedroom" where only I get to sleep... ^.^

I admit it, I need some time to myself. I need time to walk around in the woods, and time to play music without a care in the world. I need some time to catch up and get ready for the next event. 

   The Martins, they're used to it by now. They have been surrounded by their family their whole lives. I only see them two months out of the year, and even then I stay at my Grandma's house where it's quiet and peaceful at night. I don't have to wait in line for the shower, or squeeze through three other people just so I can get a glass of water like they do! Sometimes it can get overwhelming to be constantly surrounded by so many people, especially when you're hardly used to spending time with your parents. But it's times like these where you learn to deal with the goods and the bads of people, and to accept them as they are, and still love them. We can make fun of each other and get on their nerves, but we can just as easily make fun of ourselves. We're all like that. It's how we deal with the problems that makes us family. 

   Maybe it's all the lakes and forestry up there in Wisconsin, but when I'm up there, I feel more down to earth than I ever could on my own. Sitting around a fire and whittling a stick gives me that deep feeling of satisfaction that you can't get from a computer or a pretty picture. And for me, that's all I'll ever need. There's just something magical about walking down a forest trail with a dog and seeing a Momma Black Bear and her two cubs crossing the street not 100 yards away from where your standing, or counting deer in the forest just so everyone can get a scoop of ice cream. It's the little things that make it all worth it in my book :)