Star Trek

Every time I come home my family and I catch up on the latest sci-fi. Anything with the word "star" in it we've probably already seen, and we've probably got it on dvd. Star trek, Star Wars, The Last Starfighter...

Star Trek is probably our most favorite.

Here's how things go. Dad pops the popcorn. Alicia, Ben, and I snuggle into the couches. Someone calls the Tobe- otherwise known as our schnauzer Toby. And mom sings the beginning credits to the episode.

My house is filled with quartz crystals and petrified wood. We play monopoly. We dig through magazines for bizarre ads and post the prized ones on the fridge. This year nobody likes my music and tells me I am becoming a hippie. "Pomegranates?" my dad says, "You're eating what now?" Also, this year I discovered that I live in a family of giants. I stood in the middle of the kitchen during Thanksgiving and found that I was smaller than everyone there. I was constantly looking up while speaking to people. My grandma was the first to notice, "I told you Caitlin! You're the runt."

I've learned invaluable life lessons through my family. Lessons like: singing songs about one another is acceptable in the house but not acceptable in public, fighting over how much the dog loves you proves that you are the most loved, and that only your siblings are going to fully appreciate how hard you worked to beat that last boss. As a unit we create a safe place for each other, allowing each member to be as strange and offbeat as they care to be. I don't think I'd be me without this crazy Holman clan.

"Beam me up Scotty."