I burst open the door to my house, sweating after a long workout at the gym. I first see my father slumped on the couch with his ‘readers’ staring into the abyss of his tablet screen. Then, I glance at my mother who seems to be as busy as she always is, cooking dinner, writing a grocery list, or cleaning the house. I overhear yelling coming from the basement, and I know it's my brother who was playing his video game and just lost.

 After a delicious dinner that my mom had delicately grilled on our new propane grill, I devoured the juicy burger which was cooked to perfection. I had finished it off with a slice of chocolate cookie cake from my recently celebrated 15th birthday. Then, my mom, my dad, and my brother and I all gathered into the basement and watched as the Milwaukee Bucks played with the national championship on the line. My mom had her Bobby Portis t-shirt on, my father had his Bucks sweatshirt, and my brother and I both had our Giannis jerseys on.

The lighting in the basement was perfect, the LED backdrop of the TV was an electric green to match the Bucks’ colors, and the stereo sound system was perfectly set up to where the reverberations of the bass and the surround sound made me feel like I’m at the game. 

The Bucks win. 

Mom chants, “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby!” 

My dad yells with so much excitement in his voice and my brother and I run across the basement, flailing our arms in excitement. 

That night, we all went to bed, in the eerie quietness of the neighborhood with our windows open. Knowing that we may not ever witness this again–thinking about the night. 

That workout was amazing–I can barely lift my arms…That was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had…Will the Bucks ever win a championship again?

This was a true story that happened a few years ago and I think that it best encompasses my family and what family and home means to me. We are a very close family like a wolf in a pack and we share many hobbies and interests–one of those being sports.  Home is a safe place where you can enjoy the company of each other and share great memories and moments and I think that this story is an amazing example of that.