Love, Noelle: Not Your Average Family

These past few days at home with my family have caused me to reflect quite a bit on my unique family culture (I just took a family relations class and learned all about the different family cultures there are.. nothing in the book came even close to what I found in my house :)

Here's just a few things that I observed that may or may not be completely different from how things are done in your family. For better, or for worse.

1. We eat. We eat a lot. We eat together. We eat unique things.

Roast and Potatoes? Grilled Cheese? Only on a very rare occasion.
Usually our Sunday dinners consist of dishes that I wouldn't even know how to begin spelling and ones that many have probably never heard of. We go all out Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, etc. We eat well. We eat it together.

2. We cook together.

Whether it means having the whole family around the table making sushi rolls, or having us all in the kitchen working on separate dishes. I think its safe to say that we've all learned the basics as well as some unique cooking skills. We like to cook, and we're good at it. Check out our annual Rust Family Iron Chef Competition. It's legit.

2. Our scripture studies, family prayers and Family Home Evenings take about 10 times longer than they should... and it's not necessarily because we are being spiritually fed. We get off topic. We laugh. We do all sorts of things before we've finally accomplished what we set out to do.

3. Breakfast every morning.

My mom is amazing. Whether it's decadent french toast or plain ol' oatmeal, we always have breakfast. It's always there and we always eat it together. (P.S. When I say always... I mean almost always :)

4. We enjoy a good game of tennis.

We all know the sport. We all love the sport. We're all pretty good at the sport. Meaning that when we get together, tennis is almost always involved. It is so stinking fun to watch those boys go at it and play each other. They are so good! I also love that this is a sport in which I can take part of and hold my own. We have way too much fun.

5. Our home is currently undergoing renovation... With our front room and entry completely un-usable, our house is a teensy, tiny little thing to try and cram the whole family+ visitors into beds, around the table or even in the living room for scripture study. But we ALWAYS make it work.

6. We have our own language, both audible and non-verbal.

You'd have to experience us first hand to know what I'm talking about. It started with Daniel, but we've all picked it up in some form or another.

7. It is an unwritten rule that when dad is cooking alone in the kitchen, he is allowed to make as big of a mess as he'd like.

As soon as dinner is complete, the boys leave to do.... You know, I have no idea what they do! While Mom (unless she's working on a talk ;) and the girls get right to work cleaning and singing until the kitchen is clean. As soon as the kitchen is clean and the dishwasher is running, we then all gather for scriptures and prayers. It's the same routine every night, and we love it.

8. Growing up, we made dozens upon dozens of visits to the elderly.

Our ward has always had an abundance of elderly, and my parents were awesome about making sure that we visited those who we prayerfully chose to visit. This was a very, very common FHE activity. Coincidence that I feel at home and so happy while at Rest Homes in Rexburg...? I think not.

9. There are two very distinct subsets in our family. The boys and the girls. My parents first had four boys and then followed with four girls. Pretty original. I like it :)

10. We all love kids.

These particular kids are some of our favorite :)

We're all great with kids. None of us are the type who instantly turn uncomfortable and awkward around little kids. We adore them. We love playing with them, babysitting them, teaching them etc.

11. We're a fairly musical family.

We all have at least one instrument that we excel in. We've got the guitar, piano,saxophone, bass, violin, percussion, clarinet, oboe and flute all covered...not to mention the 10 gazillion instruments that Daniel alone plays. On top of that, the boys are all fantastic on the piano and the girls can sing their hearts out. We pretty much could have a rock band if we wanted to.

12. We have a passion for the Beach.

We gather all together at the beach at least once a year for our Jared Rust family Reunion. We camp out and spend all day everyday on the beach. Love it.

13. We are so easy-going.

None of us are high maintenance. We've lived our whole lives in such away that we know not to get too worked up if things don't go our way or if we can't see how something is going to work out. We know that it's going to work itself out and we'll get by just fine.

Those were just a few of the things about my family that make us a bit unique. The older I get, the more and more I adore these people!