Dear Family, You Make Me Laugh.

As the holiday season snowballs in, I begin to miss my family more and more. They support me, listen to me, talk with me, hug me, and most them our OCD about handing me tissues when I cry, but what I really miss around the holidays are the laughs. It has been said more than once that my family could be a successful and entertaining sitcom. So I have endeavored over time to jot down some of the things that come out of their mouths. Some may seem lame to you, but if you know my family you can imagine the delivery. I thought I would share some of these "insights" into life as a member of the Gray Family with my seven followers. So for you enjoyment, I present - the words of the Family De Grau.

Dad: (On the low amount we were reimbursed by our aunt for the co-op order that included 30 ibs of organic raisins) "What? They only took two pounds of rasins?  You need to start telling Mark (Uncle) he looks constipated."


Gigi: (on arrival) "Bo you're an idiot."
Dad: "Why Mom?"
Gigi: "No special reason."

Me: "I mean, she's the oldest, you're the baby, she's the mother, she's creative, he's the boy...I mean what am I?"
Sarah: "Aw, Peige...I don't know...give me a second to think about it."



Bo: "What? You don't believe in standing out as White Anglo Saxons?"
Charissa (matter of fact): "I'm black."


"Sarah and I decided what to call you (ladies at the church)...you are the W.A.M's or the W.A.M Jr.'s. Women Accepting Menopause or the Women Approaching Menopause. And we are Y.A.M's. Yougin's Admiring Men."


-Charissa Reed Gray (1.31.09)


---Family Conversation on a Christian fiction writer's books---

(More specifically her Family Drama series) 

"At least she doesn't have to worry about characterization, because all her books are about the same people."

-Sarah Ann Gray (1.31.09)



(More specifically on the similarity of Characters)

"Names changed to protect the idiots."

-Deborah Lynn Gray (1.31.09)

-------------End-----------

"Who would have thought the Paul Newman would be so successful at selling salad dressing?"

-Robert Andrew Gray (4.14.08)


"You're ruining my life...but thanks for driving"
-Sarah Ann Gray (4.26.08)



"Nobody can clean a peanut butter jar like me."
-Robert Irvin Gray Jr. (4.27.08)



(sigh)

"Andrew ate the cheese."
-Robert Irvin Gray Jr. (05.03.08)



"Dear Lord, Thank you for my doughnuts and the nieces who provided them, I think I love them more."
-Catherine Jean Draeger Menendez (5.11.08)



"Today I made a new aspiration that I hope to one day have a quote on your wall...I’m really moving home for that express purpose."


-Charissa Reed Gray (6.25.08)



"Okay so this five dollar bill is bothering me...I'll give it to the church."


-Sara Anne Grey (7.23.08)


"We really shouldn't release me on another country."


-Lydia Lynn Gray (8.26.08)



"This morning I woke up and couldn't remember what country I was in."


-Lydia Lynn Gray (12.19.08)





"I have to get in the shower before Charissa gets home or she'll steal it from me. So if I hear the door open I'm running for the bathroom and I've been there all along. Okay?"


-Sara Anne Grey (10.09.2008) 




"75% of my conversation today has been about my tissues."


-Charissa Reed Gray (11.15.08)




(To my 88 year old Grandmother) "Hey Happy Birthday! You're old as crap."


-Robert Andrew Gray (1.23.09)




"Don't take anything at face value. Take it all with a grain of salt, and some pepper for added flavor."


-Lydia Lynn Gray (1.5.09)




"When Bo starts to talk, then I will go into Sunday School, because it will be long."


-My 3 yr old adopted nephew on whether he will go to sunday school or stay with his parents in "big church" which my father, Bo, happens to pastor.






"Your father would die without an audience."


-My Mother




---Family Conversation on Towel Laundering---



“Now girls I want you to pick one day a week to be your towel day.”


-Deborah Lynn Gray (1.21.09)



“That’s right girls, all the other day’s of the week. You’ll just have to shake dry.”


-Robert Irvin Gray Jr. (1.21.09)

------------End-----------


"When you have teeth link mine it's easy to get your teeth cleaned, you just go to the dentist, take them out and hand them over."
-Gigi


"Coffee is a catalyst for the Holy Spirit"
-Pamela Gray



Lydia:  nice picture. glenn and i will make sure to model our marriage on yours. we will start working on diving over one another's heads and we can compete over christmas.
Pam: Don't put too much pressure on yourselves. It's all about the technique- takes a lot of time and practice.


I am now officially up way too late and when I post this and share the link on facebook most of you will get it in the morning as you check your accounts. I will end with this. My family (Gigi, Bo, Debbie, Cathy, Mark, Pam, Liz,  Drew, Glenn, Chris, Lyd, and Sarah and so many others)  bless my socks off every single time I see a glimpse of their faces or hear their voices (as is the case most recently) and I cannot express how much they mean to me. Hopefully with this collage  voices, you will appreciate them more. I end with an entreaty to each of you. No matter what you have felt in the past about your family, this holiday go looking for those quirks, those sitcom ready moments that make you laugh and fall in love all over again with the God given concept of family, whether it be the one you're born into or the one who adopted you (literally or spiritually) family is a gift, never forget it.