Meet Jason, Rachel, Tanya & Victoria

also known as....my family.

Tanya and I met online. I know, I know, I've heard all of the stories of serial killers and child molesters stalking people online but it's been my experience that most people that I've met online are just nice, down to earth people who are out to kill some time. You can have great conversations and I'm actually lucky enough to have met some of my very best friends in the world online. But, meeting Tanya was more than luck. I had a great life before but the absolute best part of it began when I met her. I think that she's the most beautiful woman in the world and she's got the sweetest heart of anyone that I know.

We talked online for months and progressed on to telephone conversations of epic lengths. She'd usually call me when the kids went to sleep and we'd start off the conversation saying that we could only talk for a few minutes. Several hours and some life stories later, we'd finally hang up the phone. From the very first conversation that we had, I felt like I had known her my entire life. Then came the first visit and the rest, they say, is history. (not quite sure who "they" are but I've always heard that they said that

so I'm going to go with it!)

Later she came back for a visit and these little people started popping out of the car when she pulled up. I'd heard about these little people for a long, long time but meeting them in person was a whole other story! They got out of the car and those little mouths started running ninety to nothing. Those little mouths haven't stopped running since! They all had these beautiful eyes, big smiles and the most inquisitive minds

that you could imagine!

Rachel was the most quiet of the three. She was more serious about the world. Jason and Victoria would be climbing the walls and giggling and Rachel would be sitting quietly beside you soaking up every little tidbit of conversation that she could take in! You'd barely notice that she was in the room and then she'd hit you up with a long list of questions that she had about the conversation that you'd just exchanged with someone else. After a while, this quiet little girl grew up to be one of the sweetest souls that you could ever meet. She's got a calmness about her and a dang good head on her shoulders. I enjoy her conversations, her infectious laughter and her strong sense of right and wrong. She may be quiet but she can hold her own with the best of them when she thinks that she's right! She's a stunning beauty on the outside

and a sweetheart of a human being on the inside.

Then, there was Jason....the lone male of the bunch. He stepped out of the car with a grin on his face, a plethora of jokes to tell and a mouth that never stopped running. He was twice as loud as Rachel was quiet and had the quickest wit that I've ever seen on a kid his age. He has a smile that can absolutely light up a room. He's gotten older and it's much less cool to appear to enjoy hanging out with your family but every now and then...if the wind is blowing just right, you'll actually see that smile and it's usually followed by a giggle. Oftentimes, the giggles are prompted by the joke he's making about mine or Tanya's dorkiness but he's still one of the nicest kids that I know.

He's pretending to not want to give his mommy a kiss but I know better.....

Just when I thought that the clown car had emptied entirely, out popped this scrappy little girl with HUGE blue eyes! She laughed at every single word that her hysterically funny big brother said and she was constantly up to trying to find mischief of her own to get into! Again, little has changed since that day. She walks into the room and you can't help but brace yourself because you know she's about to work you. Whether it's an iPod app that she wants or a trip to Dairy Queen, this kids got an angle that she's working

at all times! She knows that those blue eyes can help her move mountains.....

Collectively..and individually...these people have completely transformed what I knew as my world. I am forever grateful for that change. I never had a clue how much I could love another human being until I met them. We aren't a "traditional" family but I can assure you

that we are a family all the same!

These little people have a father and mother who adore them....grandparents who would probably swear that they could walk on water and me, who absolutely loves them beyond measure. Wouldn't you like to say that you had this many people in your corner?

So, that's it....that's my family. Am I the luckiest person

in the world or what???