6 Reason I Love Visitng with the Avant family

Monday, July 28, 2008

1. I have THE cutest cousins ever and they always give me big, cuddly hugs.

2. I always leave with something cool. Once, a lamp my uncle built for me to put shells in, and most recently, old looking bricks I wanted to use in my room at my new apartment for bookends. They always come through with some crafty item.

3. Amazing food. I’m talking broccoli casserole, macaroni-n-cheese, BBQ ribs, and always a selection of 4-5 desserts. Mmmm

4. I love listening to the crazy, somewhat strange, accents of some family members. One aunt adds –er onto every word. For example, “I put some cheese-er onto the potato-ers to give it a better flavor-er.” I love it.

5. I have some highly-skilled craftsmen in our family. The family comes from a long string of brick masons and two uncles have continued to the tradition along with one of their sons. They create beautiful fireplaces (check out Southern Living for their work which has been featured many times), decks, and houses. Along with that, one of my uncles has recreated his grandparents house completely. He moved it to his lot, fixed the exterior, and then used the family’s actual old furniture to fix the interior. It’s quite a piece of artwork. I love looking at it all. I’ve also learned this is where my love of high rise buildings and cool architecture comes from.

6. Funny stories from my Uncle Buckshot. Yup, that’s his name and can you imagine what kind of stories come out of someone named Buckshot?

I’m sure there is more, those are just a few highlights. Can’t wait until the next little family get-together.