Merry Christmas

This blog is about my family.

We are a tiny family. Six years ago, my extended family consisted of 10 people. Over three years, it diminished to 7. Today we celebrated Christmas with only 6 because my cousin David couldn't get the time off of work to fly home from L.A.

I love my family because:

• They are always there for me... both emotionally and financially. I wish I didn't need the financial help of my family, but I seriously do.
  
• We have the best traditions. Christmas is celebrated like there is no other holiday. I just got done eating our traditional prime rib dinner and it was to die for.
• We are all interestingly different. I learn a lot of new things when I'm around my extended family.
  
• Even though we hardly see each other, we always try to keep up with each other's lives.
• We're dorks. Even though some of us can come off as overly intelligent or incredibly odd, we're all dorks underneath.
• They are the only true family I have, and I will try my best to cherish that fact.

Maybe it's because I have such a small family... but I've always attached myself to my friends as if they were related to me by blood. In a way, I want a large family and am trying to gain it through my friends. Maybe someday I will be able to achieve it on my own. I know I've said a lot that I'm not interested in having kids, or getting married, or starting a family... but I think a part of me has always wanted a tight knit family of my own. Maybe I've just been smart enough to know I'm not ready for it now.

I love my friends who are like a family because:

• They are always there for me, emotionally. I would never feel like a burden calling on these friends because I know that they would always be there to listen and lend their support.
• They have the ability to make me feel the most special.
• They have been witness to some of the most tragic events of my life, and have made sure I've made it through.
• In my heart, I know I will always be there for them as well.
• I'm not ashamed to show them my true self, which is a very empowering feeling.

Merry Christmas!

Leah Pogliano

Introduction: This next guest blogger is a new friend of mine. She's the wonderful girlfriend of one of my best friends. She's bright, witty, cheerful and one of my favorite writers. I'm still hoping for the day that she will write her own book in which I will purchase for everyone I know. While I haven't been so fortunate with a lot of my friends' girlfriends, Leah treats me as a friend, and I'm grateful that she's let me into her life.

INTRODUCING
GUEST BLOGGER
LEAH POGLIANO

Things that make my life pizazzy, in no particular order:

• My job: Even though it's a pain in the ass, a lot of people I know are unemployed or soon will be.
• My gym membership: AND that work is footing the bill for a very small (I mean minuscule) portion of it.
• Dan Peat: Anyone that knows Dan knows why I'm lucky. If you don't know Dan, I'll tell you why you should. He makes you feel like you're the only person in the room, no matter who you are to him--girlfriend, friends, family, etc...
• My Family: We call ourselves the bad luck family because if anything can go wrong for any one of our members, it will. When this happens, the whole family rallies around and it doesn't seem as bad as you first thought.
• My non-addictive personality: I know so many people who are addicted to things...mainly online shopping and cigarettes. I find neither of these things thrilling, and I'm extremely grateful for that!