If family were a fruit, it would be an orange.

"If family were fruit, it would be an orange... a circle of sections, held together but separable - each segment distinct." --Letty Cottin Pogrebin--

I just stumbled across this quote the other day, and at first I thought it was sort of strange. But upon reading it a few more times, I realized how true it is, and how it really sums up a family. As with any family, mine is made up of many unique personalities, each individual quite distinct. Yet somehow, these diverse qualities seem to mesh and fit together in a strangely perfect way - just as orange segments fit together to make a round orange. While differences have the definite potential to create conflict, they also promote growth and enrichment. There is something to learn and something to gain from each member of a family, and I feel so blessed to come from the family I do.

We recently took a long weekend getaway together, and I think that trip is what got me reflecting on all of this so much. Our vacation activities were a perfect mix of all of us together. While I think all of us enjoyed each stop, there were things that were geared more toward some of us than others. This is a perfect example of how our differences serve to enrich each others' lives.

My younger sister Jana is a right-brained thinker, while the rest of us in the family are dominantly left-brainers. The left brain is logical, sequential, rational, and objective, while the right brain is random, intuitive, and subjective. It is easy to see why conflict easily arises, as we don't always perceive things the same or see eye-to-eye. However, when I am able to get past the differences, Jana offers a new way of thinking, an interesting way of looking at things. Her interests lie in theater, music, art, literature.... and birds of prey. Though we have somewhat different tastes, we find some common ground in our love of musicals. To pass time in the car during our road trip, I'd pull up a song on my iPod and make everyone guess which musical it was from as quickly as they could. Jana dominated. Also on our vacation, we visited the Guthrie Theater and saw A Streetcar Named Desire, which Jana loved.

Sara, my youngest sister, is often the peacemaker. She has an easy-going spirit and a wicked sense of humor. Her interest in fashion has led to her ability to pick out clothes that will look good on anyone, and when I get her seal of approval, I know I must look okay. She enjoyed shopping Nicolett Mall in downtown Minneapolis, as well as our stop at the Mall of America, where she found a sassy prom dress on super-sale. (Bargain-hunting is a trait we all picked up from Mom.) Sara is also athletic, so when I need a workout buddy, she's my go-to girl, and provides quiet encouragement that motivates me to push a little harder. On our trip, we raced the stairs at the capitol building, ran the bases at The Field of Dreams, and worked off some of our vacation-calories on treadmills next to each other at the hotel. Sometimes I think Sara is wise beyond her years, and often more mature than me. She provides a voice of reason when I'm being completely irrational, and a calm steadiness when I'm feeling especially spastic and chaotic. She can also be very goofy though, and we had a great time acting out statues and artwork everywhere we stopped on vacation.

I love being in the city, so staying in downtown Minneapolis and getting to walk many places we went was right up my alley. Since my mom is a home ec teacher and I am a dietitian, we were both excited to tour the Mill City Museum, a former Gold Medal Flour mill/factory. Dad and I love baseball, and we are fans of the movie Field of Dreams, so stopping at the filming site in Dyersville, Iowa, was a lot of fun. Like most families, we love a good meal, and enjoyed everything from creamy ice cream (14% butterfat... Ugh. My arteries hurt just thinking about it. But soo good!) to the most amazing burger I've ever tasted (Jamaican jerk bison burger + sweet potato fries at Hell's Kitchen = OMG good.) We can all appreciate the beauty of art and architecture, landscape and history, so we enjoyed our stops at the capitol buildings in Des Moines and St. Paul; Cathedral of St. Paul; Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville, IA; & Surf Ballroom and the lake in Clear Lake, IA.

My parents are diverse in their interests, and by exposing us to so many different experiences, (as on this trip and the many family vacations that came before) they have helped us to discover our passions. They provide support and encouragement to my sisters and me as we pursue those interests. It is because of my parents that, at the age of 23, I have: learned to play 2 musical instruments; read countless books; baked an absurd amount of cookies; logged many, many miles on bike and on foot; lived independently in the heart of 2 different big cities; seen 24 professional theater productions; traveled to 30 states, 6 foreign countries, and 2 other continents; and so much more. I may be strongly biased, but I think my family has got to be one of the best out there, and I am beyond blessed to be a part of it. We balance each other out, and fit together like puzzle pieces. Yes, I am convinced -- if family were fruit, it would definitely be an orange.