I inexplicably found an Ellie Goulding CD sitting on my kitchen counter today. No one in the family has even heard of her besides me. Does it count as stealing?

I've been thinking a lot about family really. Obviously, this is in part because I have spent the past three months living at home. This summer has been the first time in seven years that all seven members of the family have been living together in the farmhouse. Just six months ago Danny was living in California, Carlee in her own apartment in Baltimore, Johnny in New York City, and I was in Syracuse. Now, we're all back under one roof again. It's only for the summer, though. Danny will be moving back to California in the fall. Carlee just bought a new house downtown and will be moving in once the renovation is complete. Johnny is going back to school in New York soon. And I will be moving to England.

It's strange. I haven't lived in the same house as my older sister since 2004. When she left I was 14 and she was 19. We weren't exactly best friends. Now, I am 20 and she is 25. Finally we're at a time when we can be friends. We've always been close for sisters. She's been a great older sister, very supportive and always guiding me through hard times. But now I feel as if we can finally be friends. It's nice. I have always loved my sister, but this summer I've realized how much I like her. After I come home from England next year, I am planning to live with her downtown instead of with my parents.

Of course, every summer is another marker of how quickly time is passing. I said it last summer and the summer before that and it's still true now. This summer feels like it could be the last one before we're all officially "grown up." I put grown up in quotes because I know it is a ridiculous term. Do you ever reach  an official status as "grown up?" No, we never stop growing (or at least we should never stop), so that every summer has a bit of "final" to it.

The idea of the four of us growing up is daunting. For now, we are a "we." We are a collective. The Pipitone kids. It's us and everyone else is them. I know we'll never stop being four siblings, but I look at my parents and their siblings and I see that it becomes less important. Eventually we'll all be starting our own families, new "us" groups.

My mother is one of seven. She has five brothers and one younger sister. Now, she and her siblings are spread out over five states. She sees Uncle Joe, Uncle Mark, Uncle Steve, and Aunt Barbara once a year. Uncle Teddy comes for the major holidays*. Uncle Jeff hasn't visited in seven years. And none of these visits would happen at all if Grandma didn't live with us. My aunts and uncles come to visit Grandma not my mother, their sister. Some of the siblings don't even talk to each other anymore because of an unpleasant issue that no one talks about. It's just so sad. These brothers and sisters seem to have become mere acquaintances, just old childhood friends.

Will Carlee, Danny, Johnny, and I be like that someday?

*He is divorced and lives alone so he comes to be with Grandma. My mother isn't particularly close with him, though. She's closest with Uncle Joe, I think.