The Kids Who Shaped My Childhood.
Recently I was asked to share a favorite childhood memory. It automatically seemed obvious to me that somehow these two would be involved -- I just couldn't pin down a favorite story.
(L to R: Whitnee, Derek, Me)
You're probably wondering who these kids are. Well, the short answer is they're my cousins. Derek is the oldest and I come second -- followed exactly a week later by Whitnee. Our close proximity in age and relative physical proximity made it easy for us to accept our fate as built-in life long friends. We were happy to spend weeks together every summer both at our Grandparent's home and on our joint-family vacations. We anticipated our yearly fall camping trips for months and counted down the days until the Thanksgiving feast and the Saturday family Christmas party. From President's day four wheeling and Easter weekend at the cabin to Memorial day BBQs and Labor Day overnighters, it's safe to say we were an integral part of each other's childhoods. How thankful I am for that.
As I've aged, I've realized that not everyone has as close of a relationship with their cousins as I do. Although we don't get to see each other as often as we once did, these relations are still intact. We are still good friends. Despite the separation we have experienced due to a mission and our various college choices, we are able to pick up where we left off every single time we see each other.
So cheers to us. Cheers to the friends my parents ensured were in my life. Cheers to the countless days we've spent giggling, adventuring, talking, making messes, and growing together. Cheers to cousins and cheers to Whitnee and Derek -- I have no doubt that we'll be making our kids put up with our crazy antics on our own family vacations in a few years time.
As Always,
Alesha
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