"The hardest thing in the world is to simplify your life, it is so easy to make it complex"

-Yvon Chouinard

In our lives we worry and get caught up in many things, from school and work to doing choirs and stressing about relationships, but one thing that is not complex in our lives and that I know will simply and truly always be there is the love of our family. No matter what distractions we have in life we will always have each other and that is the most important thing. I can live without television, computers, cellphones and even bicycles and speedos, but I don't think I could make it without you guys.

Love Always

Feeling some serious PCD

ahhh that was such a great week! Our reunions are always my favorite time of year and my second favorite is Christmas and really any time i get to spend with you guys! i miss all of you so much and its super hard to be home away from you guys and i am definitely feeling some serious PCD. There were so many amazing memories from this past reunion. Some of my favorites were singing our hearts out at the golf course. We sang basically whatever we could think of as loud and long as we could, completely forgetting that we werent supposed to be on the course and that screaming was probably not the best idea... and then our run in with the random teenagers who thought they knew us and then coming back to the cabin and finding out that everyone had heard our singing. Another favorite was our gummy bear taste test which i really hope becomes a tradition because i feel like a rematch is necessary. And then another new tradition was taking over the lake which was hilarious. any time a group of us would be on a dock or just in one area everyone seemed to be avoiding us because there were just so many of us and i wouldnt have it any other way. I am happy we discovered that as soon as the lifeguard goes off duty we can basically do whatever we want; which was when we invented the tip the dock game. The Grotto Nights were just another thing that i will never forget. There are so many great quotes and stories "This is a MAN" and "sorry if this one tastes more like sweat..." and "I am a bad boy" and all those dating stories. Going to the creek was also really great and i hope that becomes a tradition. I love how our family is either playing a game, napping, swimming and golfing. Next year lets make sure we catch a frog, teach everyone else bang, have more Grotto Nights, play mafia, continue our traditions and make some new ones.

Our family is absolutely the best and i wouldnt want it anything about it to change! Thanks everyone for making it such a great week! i dont know what i am going to do for the next 5 1/2 monthes without you guys! but my mom really wants us to go back to the cabin one more time this summer so hopfully some of you guys can come then too! i hope you guys have a great 4th of July! i just realized i dont have very many of your numbers and i would really like that to change... I posted just a few of my favorite pictures and videos on facebook in a album called "Cousins" but here are a few. I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!

PCD (Post Cabin Depression)

I only left the cabin yesterday but I am already feeling a huge void in my life... No I'm not just speaking about Nico, but the entire family and the awesome experiences we had in Arnold. This year was one of the best (actually they all are the best). We had over 40 people in 4 cabins and at one time we had over a quarter of them in the grotto, where we continued the tradition of breaking something when we unintentionally tried to break the world record of most people on a futon. The record is currently being contested by Ghana, but we do know that that we are leading in the category of Lebarons with the use of a Colombian.

We did so many awesome things this year. The lake was perfect with volleyball and basketball and even more fun on the docks once the lifeguards left, the other lake was great too, with the frogs, just next year I vow to catch one. I was also extremely stoked that mafia hopefully has been reinstated as a tradition. Another tradition that I know will stay is cousin dinner, thanks to everyone who helped make the possible. Poker was also great (I am only a little sour about getting out on the second hand, with pocket aces...). There was also the trip to the river which is a definite must for next year and the nightly dance parties as well as the ever precent games of Oh Hell, Hearts, Cribbage and the new brain game Bang! Gummi Bear tasting was also awesome. Everything was awesome! This is my favorite week of the year and it is entirely made possible by our loving parents and granma and papa. It is such an amazing experience that we are able to have and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Love you guys, here are some highlight photos (some more are on facebook, but tons more are still on my camera) post your photos and share your experiences please!

Well this looks fun!

Cabin Count Down!!!!

Less than two weeks til Arnold! Prepare your bathing suites, golf clubs, card skills and stomachs for this awesome event! The past few weeks we have had a couple of gradations, Trip from 8th grade, Molly from high school and Chess for college! I am immensely proud of everyone, graduation or not. The fact is school and life are tough, but I think we all can agree that having our awesome family really makes it easier. Hope everyone is doing great and cannot wait to see you all! Also post any photos if you want to.

Here are some from this weekends festivities of Chessie's graduation as well as a video of the morning after viewing of the world cup. Enjoy! (oh and Jake is fine, thats just how he sleeps)

The Cousin's Blog

This blog was created to help us cousins stay in touch and keep each other updated about our lives. Post what's going on in your life, tell me what cool things your are doing or if you're going to be visiting soon, I want to know about it! I would prefer if this doesn't turn out to be like facebook where I get hourly updates about what homework someone is complaining about or that someone still is in love with his girlfriend. But it is totally up to the you guys to decide what it turns out to be.

I used this website when I was traveling in China and it worked really well until the government blocked my access to it, but if anyone has any suggestions please tell me. I think it is pretty easy to edit and post and I hope it works out well. All the cousins can post and comment on it, just send me your email and I will make you and editor.

Thanks and much love!

Dinner at the Giannotti's

So I have to thank everyone for coming to my house and hanging out the other night. The food that everyone brought was awesome, I also have to thank my dad for cooking. I think in total we had 35 of us packed into my house, so great! I love it when we get together and I am really glad that everyone was available. In the next week we will all be traveling home or to school, and although we were only together for a short time, I just want to thank everyone for making this year, like all the other ones, wonderful. Christmas and the Cabin are my two favorite times of year and it's thanks to you guys.

Much love.

I'm still working on editing video (using the awesome camera that A got me!) but here is a photo a snagged with it and a short little video about one out our most loved villains. I didn't get many photos for the dinner, but to those who do please load them as well as Christmas and the cousin sleep over!