We put the FUN back in dysfunctional

Yesterday my oldest brother (I have two and they are both older) turned 35 (Happy birthday), so a bunch of us got together today to throw him a party. It was nice and relaxing, calm with a lot of laughs. It's strange to see us all getting older and having kids (each of us has a daughter funny enough), I mean we still fight like siblings whenever we are together, we all want to be right and no one wants to concede their point, we still make fun of each other and joke around, we can throw out insults just like we did as kids, but no matter what we are always there for each other. I can always count on them when I need someone and we do get along really well despite the fact that we push each others buttons whenever we can. We have kind of always been that way, we had a rather odd upbringing. Our parents started out as hippies, living in the bush in a tent (I've always like to say that I was born into civilization because I was born in a house with a real doctor), then moved on to an off the wall religion, I remember living in an old school bus around the time I was 1, we lived in a 500 sq ft house for a number of years, that was fun with 5 people. Like I said it was a bit of an odd upbringing. My parents religion taught that everyone has to make their own choices in life, but I think they kind of forgot that part as each of us decided to go out on our own and leave the religion. As a result of that none of us have much to do with our parents. We are at the point now though that we can look back and laugh at it all, we can see the funny side to growing up that way and bond over it. We also have all our aunts and uncles (our mom's side, we never really knew our dad's side) and together we all make up a funny and dysfunctional bunch. We try and get together a few times a year (kids birthdays, Christmas, etc...) and we make up a fun filled group. As odd ball as we might be there are always a lot of laughs when we get together, our aunts and uncles argue and tease each other just as much as my brothers and I do, we a crack jokes about everyone else, I honestly can't remember a family get together where we didn't laugh most of the time. It's always funny the first few times someone brings a new girl/boy friend to a family function, we get a few weird looks until they get used to how we interact with each other. We may not be perfect but we are family, we all love and support each other, we all get along. I guess that's what a family is all about when it really comes down to it, being there no matter what and enjoying the time we spend together! I love you all!