ohana means family

family.

 merriam-webster has 8 definitions of family. none of them that i like. the only definition that i have ever liked comes from a disney movie.

"Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten."
 - Lilo & Stitch

i have been very lucky to be blessed with such a beautiful family. a very big, crazy, loud, loving, hilarious and sometimes out of control beautiful family. but who is counting adjectives?

today i'm not focusing on mom and dad, or jordyn and seth. today i am focusing on the extendid crew. fasten your seatbelts, or maybe grab some popcorn, you might be entertained.

aunts and uncles. there are lots. i would go from most favorite to least, but i feel like i'd step on some toes, or not get birthday money next year ( JUST KIDDING!!! )

Alright from oldest to youngest on dad's side. Aunt Nancy married Uncle Tim. they live far, we miss holidays with them. aunt nancy talks a lot just like me. Aunt Robin married Uncle Rick. aunt robin is daddy's twin, she shares my love of cooking. Aunt Julie married Uncle Richard they are like my substitute parents. they go to the beach with us, that is always an adventure. then there is Uncle Phil, he might take the prize for favorite. He suffers from Schizoprenia, i love him so much. he has 100 "passwords" loves to sing and loves his nieces and nephews. if you need encouragment just find Phil.


Mom's side. Uncle Brad married Aunt Tracie. uncle brad is the prankster, once he sent me a disney cruise dvd and a letter saying i was going on one, i wasn't. uncle brad has a heart of gold though really, he just tries to be funny.  Aunt Kelly married uncle Tim. i don't get to see them as often, but when i do it is the best time. aunt kelly and i share a special "baby of the family" bond.


i have a lot of cousins. and i am the youngest of all of us. i like it this way. probably because i like the attention some of the time. i maybe even secretly like being picked on by all the big guys "no brad i dont have a hickey...its just a bruise!" is a normal sentence to hear on thanksgiving. but more than this. i have incredible role models. they have all grown up ahead of me, taught me lessons, shown me the way, found Christian spouses and set amazing examples. i feel like they are just extra brothers and sisters....you ready? heres the list.


Nathan, Christen, Isaac, Joshua, Caleb, Ryan, Korrie, Joshua, Kayla, Cortney, Cassidy, Kellie and Caleb. they are the cousins. then most of them got married. so there is Brittany, Ronnie, Karen, Heather, Robyn, Brad, Denise, Nic, and soon to be married in Micah! then some of them had kids. so there is Evie, Wyatt, Baby inside of Christen, Makyah, Ayden, Mia, Addison, and Collin. yeah i know you are all confused and care less. but think about alllll of this at a holiday. yeah it's chaos.

oh wait. i forgot Paige. she is Kellie's best friend. and one of my favorite people on planet earth. i have known her basically my whole life. she is the adopted cousin. she is married to Mark. they have 2 kids. Bryson and Madison.

speaking of Kellie. she is my favorite cousin. everyone knows this. and everyone is fine with it, because they understand. Kellie is a cancer survivor. she beat Lymphoma. she is my hero. every battle i face i think "Kellie beat cancer, i can do this." She is the most beautiful Godly lady, full of spunk and full of life. I thank God for her so often. I can't wait to see her marry Micah in May. that will be a beautiful day.

i have found that at time family is the only thing you can count on. friends will come and they will go. trust me, it happens. but if you have an amazing family surrounding you, supporting you, guiding you. life becomes a little bit easier.

i dont know even if i said everything i wanted to. anatomy fried my brain today. then i just watched literally 8 episodes of parenthood. yeah. i have no life. i need to get out more haha. but i hope you liked my rant. if not. come back tomorrow. i might have something insiteful for you.

love you all

Blessed by a Heavenly Daddy.

Shelby Elyse Taylor