Family Forest

I am very proud to say that I don't have a family tree... it's a forest. 

Seriously.

 

In high school I was assigned the task of drawing my family tree on a chalkboard.  Needless to say, I filled every square inch of green.  It was then that I realized that my "tree" was more like a wilderness... with quirky little poplars and towering pines.

• I am one of 8 children.
• I never lived with a sibling full-time until I was 17.
• I have no "full" siblings... they are all steps or halves.
• I am an "only", "oldest", "middle" and "youngest" depending upon which branch of the family tree you are exploring (however I have only/oldest personality traits... primarily).

I will not bore you with the mind-numbing details of marriages, divorces, who belongs to whom, etc... it's all fine print anyway.

The bottom line... the whole brood is family...

We are loud... opinionated... loyal... imperfect... elaborate... simple... often musical... definitely dramatic... down-to-earth... deep thinkers... desperate for grace... salt and light... soiled... deeply rooted... moody... and beyond. 

To deliciously complicate matters, almost 18 years ago, I was grafted into another large family when my husband and I tied the knot!  Though not nearly as complex, they are also a meandering vine!

We even get to count many of them as neighbors since we live on a family farm.

To keep it as simple as possible, I have 3 distinct sets of family... 

The Colorado Parents, the Houston Parents... and the Farm Family. 

It's been really fun recently that some of my different trees have begun to intertwine. Last Christmas we spent the holidays with my Colorado Parents... and my Houston Sisters came with us.  At one point Colorado Brother queried as to exactly how he was related to the Houston Sisters (not at all actually)... he created a new familial definition...

Non-Descript-Half-Step-Sisters... I love it!!

I did manage to fit my Farm Family's immediate leaves into the traditional structure of a tree a few years ago.  My Farm Mom specifically requested it for Christmas and then my Farm Sister had to have one too. =) 

I started the design on a piece of paper with MERRIFIELD as the "trunk" and then simply started attaching the names (crossword puzzle style) trying to keep things in the general correct "shape" of a tree... (not too lopsided... wide or tall).  

When the names were all added (be sure to double check... you would not want to accidentally omit a leaf!) I sketched in the curved branches and then worked with paint and canvas to achieve the final product.  

We've added two new leaves (Catherine and Caleb) since the original painting, so if you attempt something like this at home, be sure to leave room as the family grows. =)