The Yockeyites vs. My Native People

So Dan's parents and younger sister are visiting, and we've had fun going shopping and replacing our saggy loveseat with an actual couch and chatting. It's gotten me thinking though about how Dan's family is different from my people... Not in a bad way. Just the kind of way that makes me think about life.


I'm the oldest of five, so when my family came to visit in May it was a lot noisier, a lot of chatting from my teenage sisters, laughing, goofing around, and general silliness. (It was hilarious taking them to the married ward at church that Sunday- my parents paid attention, but my foster brother played a rubix cube the whole time, and my sisters goofed off and my brothers colored.) There are still a lot of young kids (I'm one of many, many grandkids, and grandkids are still coming) and that sort; since I'm the first one of my generation of our family to get married, it's kind of a new step for everyone and we're all still adjusting to it.


Dan's family, however, is in a different stage in life. He's the middle child of three, and his older sister has been married for six years and his younger sister has graduated college. They're humorous and funny, but at the same time a little more reserved than my family- and definitely not as loud! Since they've been here we've done a lot of talking, but also a lot of just sitting, which is kind of cool in its own way, just kind of hanging out and talking about stuff here and here. It's interesting to hear the stories they tell and the places they've all been.


Here's a good example of how different our families are:

Thanksgiving at my house usually involves my family, my grandparents, and at minimum one of my dad's siblings and that whole family- so at least like 15 people. More often than not there are more. It's loud, rambunctious, kids everywhere, and the food takes all day to make- jello, jello salad, the turkey, stuffing, mounds of potatoes, at least one kind of veggie, gallons of gravy, and lots and lots of dishes to wash. Once everyone is done, kids start running around, inside and outside and up the stairs and down the stairs, and adults are talking and breaking up a fight here or an argument there, and the teenagers are reading books or chatting. 

Thanksgiving at Dan's house involves his parents, his younger sister (if she's not off in some other country), his older sister and her husband and son, and his grandma. We all sat around the table with room to spare for each of us, and it was rather quiet at times as people ate. Dishes were all put in the dishwasher except for a couple of larger dishes, and then we all sat around and let it digest while looking at Black Friday ads.


HUGE difference. Whenever I'm with Dan's family I always enjoy it a lot... It's quieter, and I'm pretty sure I won't feel exhausted by the time they leave my house from visiting.... But at the same time, I think I'll always gravitate towards the huge family scene. Poor Dan- he holds his own, but I'm sure my family leaves him crying himself to sleep at night sometimes!