Within my family, my house is the party house. Every weekend we order the fights, make amazing food, and invite everyone. During the summer it gets even worse. Everyone comes during the week to swim and barbecue. My dad is always the main chef. He doesn’t mind it, he utilizes the power of the knobs on the grill. Each rotation of the wrist, like another level of masculinity. He brings joy to my hungry family members, when he enters with a plate of warm meat right off of the grill. Everyone comes around three o’clock. Bringing either a side dish, sodas, plastic utensils, bathing suits, or pajamas. Every Friday night I have to take out all the trashes, clean my room, and the bathrooms. My mom takes care of the kitchen and the laundry. For my brother, he cleans his room and vacuums. My dad rarely will sweep and mop the floors. By Saturday morning we’re fully prepared. Everyone showing up periodically throughout the day until we are all there, in my house. The next morning our house is a mess and we feel tired.   As terrible as this sounds, I actually enjoy it. I love the sound of my doorbell because I know that someone has arrived. Each time we hear the sound, all the kids (myself included) go charging towards the door, pushing each other out of the way, humiliating ourselves, to give a warm welcome to someone at the door. I love the feeling of sitting around the table updating everyone about the past week. Drinking as many sodas as I can until my dad catches on and cuts me off. I love the feeling of skunking everyone in the last round of our card game. I have known this type of family get-together for as long as I can remember. I think I take my family for granted sometimes. I can always count on them to show up at my house. Not everyone gets to see their family every week. Not everyone can bond with their loved ones as frequently as I do. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful because they are the only people who I am not afraid to truly be myself. I can laugh as loud as I want. Say whatever comes to my mind. They have always supported me with my decisions. I can always count on them for whatever it is that I need. They are the only people who know me inside and out. I will always be in debt to them for everything that they have done and sacrificed for me.