Home to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the F-15E fighter jet, Butterball, down-home cookin' and a slew of Dollar Generals, Goldsboro, N.C. has more charm than a Baptist blessin' your heart. Despite the strong military influence, one trend that will always exist in this Southern town is family. From family farms to family reunions, Goldsboro knows what matters most.

"Hey Momma! Look! A turkey head!" screams Marshall, with much excitement, as he scoops up an old, trodden head of a turkey that had been pecked to death.

Everyday at 5 p.m., Marshall, 7, and his dad, Gray Outlaw do their rounds at their turkey houses. Currently, the Outlaw family has two turkey houses holding about 12,500 turkeys. Marshall and Gray walk the houses daily to move their water bowls, remove dead turkeys and give the gobbler's their daily medication. They raise the turkeys for 20 weeks until they are shipped to Goldsboro Milling, home of Butterball, and put into a deep freeze until Thanksgiving dinner. The Outlaw's also raise hogs, "'baccer," corn and soy beans.

Every other year, the Durham family holds their family reunion in Goldsboro. Descending from Great Grandma Durham, who had six children, and her sister, who had 12 children, over 120 people meet to celebrate thier family in Herman Park, the heart of downtown. Family from all across the South came to Goldsboro September 4 to catch up and relive old memories.

Shermeana Townes was the designated fish-fryer at the reunion. She breaded and dunked whole fish into two deep fryers to keep her family satisfied.

During the spring, summer and fall a popular site for locals to hang out is at All Stars Family Fun Center putt-putt course. Since 1976, All Stars has been a family business bringing wholesome entertainment and recreation to the area.

Earl Hughes, has worked at All Stars Putt Putt since it opened. His smiling face greets customers of all ages everyday, and occassionally he will hand out ring pops to the children. Known to Facebookers as "The Old Man at AllStars Putt Putt," his facebook page has almost 500 fans. Always speaking his mind, Hughes is very vocal about local schools and college football.

Before noon on September 4, members of Duck's Unlimited met to celebrate the opening of dove season with McCall's BBQ and sweet tea in a recently harvested corn field.

Dean Brady, of Princeton, laughs at a joke from his friend Charles Deans, of Smithfield, while the two get their shotguns and other equipment ready for the opening season. Friends and family of Goldsboro's chapter of Duck's Unlimited traveled to the cornfield for a day of hunting on farmer John Tyndall's land.

Sunday mornings may mean church, but in Goldsboro it also means a full breakfast, with your loved ones and sweet tea, of course.

Ruth and Larry Edmundson eat at Michelle's Restaraunt every Sunday morning. Larry has lived in Goldsboro for 62 years. "See that man up there with the hat on, he would've never sat up there in the old days," said Larry about an African American man sitting at the bar, while talking about the differences Goldsboro has experienced in his time. He also recalled when the shopping center that houses Michelle's was home to Woolworth's department store and how he used to ride his bike to the store.

A centerpiece of what used to be old Goldsboro, the water tower along North Center Street is a beacon of hope for a town that revolves around family. Despite the tough economic times and changes the town has encounterd, Goldsboro natives know how to look forward in life, with their families by their sides.

My photojournalism final along with a BIG and HUGE thanks to the Boyd family for letting me invade their lives this spring! Thank you all so much!

As Marcey Boyd loads her four adopted children into her grey Nissan Pathfinder that is packed with hot pink car seats, Chloe Boyd picks her nose. Chloe and her identical twin sister, Addie, are getting over a recent cold, making runny noses Marcey's daily villain.

"The girls slept in some today. They didn't want to get up. But watch, tomorrow, they will be up really early," Marcey comparing the girls' sleep schedule during the week to the weekend. Ashlee (far left) flopped over on the family's Duke University fleece blanket on the couch while her sister, Charlotte, watches recorded "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" episodes. Her adoptive father, Wes Boyd, holds Addie as Marcey gathers school clothes for their daughters.

Chloe and Addie (left to right) both reach for water as Marcey helps them wash their hands after their first time playing outside following a harsh North Carolina winter. While their sisters are at preschool, Marcey plays and reads with the twins to help develop their early childhood skills, such as speech development.

Ashlee runs and hugs her dad, Wes, as he picks her up from Protestant Preschool & Kindergarten. "Friday afternoons are Ashlee and Dad time," said Wes. Ashlee and her sisters are all "daddy's girls" but one-on-one time with dad is hard when there are four daughters commanding his attention.

Bath time for the Boyd girls is an adventure for mom, Marcey. The oldest two, Ashlee and Charlotte, do not like shower water in their eyes and the twins, Addie and Chloe are constantly trying to escape from the bathtub. However, all four of them are clean and tear-free after a good scrub down with Johnson's Bedtime Bath body wash.

After bathtime, Chloe recieves her second nebulizer treatment of the day. Her and Addie have to receive respiratory treatments because of complications from their premature birth. This is just one of the many side effects foster and adoption parents face.

Wes, an ordained minister, and his wife, Marcey, pray "God our Father, God our Father," to the tune of the nursery rhyme, "Frere Jacques." Religion is a huge part of the Boyd's lives, and has played largely into why they have fostered and adopted their children.

Wes and Chloe share a moment of peace during Ashlee's fourth birthday party. Wes and Marcey both pray that the adoption of their fifth daughter, Anna Claire, and biological sister to Charlotte, Addie and Chloe, will be approved allowing her to soon quickly in North Carolina and be able to create bonds with her four sisters and soon-to-be new parents.