I looked through the window and saw the runway approaching. It was a matter of minutes until I would be climbing the stairs of my cousin’s house. As we got off the plane to retrieve our luggage, I saw a man in the distance waving frantically in our direction. After a long stare, I realized it was my Uncle. We rolled our bags towards his direction and were greeted with a big welcoming hug from him. We were a pretty big group. It was my family of five, my two cousins and my two nieces; therefore we knew someone else had to have been there with him. My mom’s other brother was waiting outside in the car. We put our bags in the car and sat down. I closed my eyes and tried to remember how Chicago looked like the last time I visited. The buildings were out of this world, the food was phenomenal, there were countless things to do and the warm arid breeze off Lake Michigan was unique. Lakeshore Drive was the best place to be during sunrise and sunset in all of the United States. I opened my eyes and looked to my left to see the Sears Tower approaching us. I knew we were getting closer to the house and started to have a good feeling about this getaway.

We were in Chicago this summer for our family reunion, which was in dire need because as we got older, we all started to drift apart. This reunion was to help remind us about the significance of family. It was to help us get away from the world for a few days. As we pulled up into the drive-way, I saw a few of my cousins waiting for us outside. It had been forever since all of us had seen each other. We all exchanged hugs and went inside to prepare for the busy yet exciting days ahead of us.

The same day as we arrived we went to our all time favorite restaurant, Pita Inn. People travel just to Chicago for Pita Inn. Their chicken swarma and spicy sauce are truly to die for. I have never eaten such juicy and tender chicken in my life, other than at Pita Inn. After that we went to my uncle’s house, where we played RockBand and pool in the basement for hours, while our parents gossiped upstairs.

The next day was an eventful one. We went to Navy Pier, Chicago’s Children Museum, the famous Bean and lastly shopping in downtown. At the end of the day we were all so exhausted that every single one of us went straight to bed that night. My favorite memory from this family reunion was when we stayed at home and had a barbeque. It sounds like a boring day when I say it like that, but it was nowhere close to being boring. The moms were in the living room watching their international soap operas, which all had the same plot line and drama to it. Our dads were grilling the food, while trying to play three-on-three basketball. The rest of us were in the pool or at least had our feet in the pool. The young mothers were hanging out by the pool because the babies were too young to swim. My cousin, Sheena, and I were the designated photographers for this get together. It was my favorite memory because all of us were united for one day. Even though it was a low key day, it was the best day I have had in a while. Capturing the memories from this day was pretty tough because the memories were more internal.

It was more internal because everyone realized at the end of this day how important family really is. Having everyone their and enjoying themselves helps us all understand why we all matter to each other. During this trip no one worried about anything. Our worldly matters did not exist for a few days; the rest of the world had no effect on us. For those few days, things were good, actually they were perfect.