My first vacation of Summer 2016 consisted of a week at Lake Norman with my family.

Like my whole family.

My Uncle Bud, Aunt Monica and cousins Buddy and Katelyn all live in North Carolina. My parents and my Teah-Teah flew out first. They were joined by my Uncle Mike, Aunt Megan and cousins Lauren and Gillian, who were visited Washington D.C beforehand. Then my brother and I flew out a few days later. We were joined by Buddy’s fiance Meghan and Katelyn’s boyfriend Dallas sporadically throughout the week.

That’s 15 people in 1 house.

It was one of the best vacations I have had in a very long time.

It’s no secret that I love my family. I always have a story about them. I brag about my Teah-Teah’s cooking. I smile just thinking about my uncles constantly picking on each other or telling crude jokes. We almost always have Christmas together; the last time I remember going on a vacation all together was a Thanksgiving several years ago.

The house that we rented for the week managed to fit all of us. The main floor held a master bedroom/bath combo, a room filled with bunk beds, two more bathrooms and the kitchen and main living room. Upstairs, there were three more bedrooms, one bathroom and an open loft area.

The patio outside had stairs that led down to a pathway out to the dock.

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Uncle Bud and Aunt Monica belong to a boat club, so we got a different boat to use everyday.

We would take boat rides around the Lake. Lake Norman is gigantic; it is the largest man-made lake in North Carolina, covering 32,475 acres and 3,400,000,000 gallons of water. It was created in the early 1960’s by Duke Power Company to generate hydroelectric power and is named after one of the company’s former presidents Norman Cocke. Some days our rides would take us to one side of the lake, where we would check out the finer houses and pick out which ones we want to buy when we have saved enough money. We would swim in Michael Jordan’s “backyard” and be jealous of homes with wonderful views of the water. (The house we were renting had a great view as well, in a different part of the lake).

Otherwise we would just hang out and be with each other, cooling off in the water or laying on the dock to catch some sun. One day we would switch it up and go shopping or to the movie or out to lunch with friends that had stopped by.

But most of the day was spent on the water.

Evenings were filled with dinner and games. We would alternate between three: Horse Races, and two card games called Doubles and Golf.

Horse Races required 5 plastic horses, a wooden board, one die and people willing to bet money on a game. The rules are simple: roll the die, if your number comes up you get to move your horse. First person to the end of the board gets the money.

Gambling runs in the family.

Evenings were filled with more boat rides or as we like to call them “sunset cruises”. It was still warm outside because of the humidity, but there was always a slight breeze. I couldn’t stop taking pictures and it was so relaxing just taking in the beauty of the sunsets.

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One night, we made it back to the house just as a thunderstorm was beginning to brew. We gathered in the living room and left all of the lights off. We watched as the lightning split the sky in the distance, giving off a quick flash before disappearing. It was quiet and nice. We just enjoyed being together.

The goodbyes at the end of our trip are always bittersweet. But we know that we will see each other very soon, and we always keep in touch with texts and social media.

My family is loud. My family is big. Whenever we are together, wherever we are, we are surrounded by happiness, laughter and joy. When I think of my family, I am filled with a warmth that is indescribable. It is the best feeling in the world.