Family

If you don't know me well, you need to know how very important my family is to me. I have so many cousins, I don't know if I could name them all. Ok, so I know that I could, if you actually have an hour, but I doubt you really want me to do that. Sooo, anyways, I'm getting off subject (again, if you don't know me well, get used to that, too!). My family. They are uber important to me.
There are a few cousins that I was raised with in almost brother/sister relationships; as in, I was as comfortable in My Aunt Trudi's home as I was in my own (maybe more at times - I'm my Aunt Trudi's favorite, and I got away with a LOT over there :D) So basically, most of my life I felt like I was the youngest of 6, not 3. Missy, Jackie and Ryan played as much a role in forming me into the little terror I was as my sisters, Ange and Ariel, had!
Then there's my cousin April. I just love her. Over the last few years, she's become the yin to my yang - one of my best friends. We share every aspect of our lives with one another, and I never expected that. I am much younger (:D) than all of this group, and I was always the little tag along. But time changes those kinds of things, and the gap is narrowed every year...
April and her oldest daughter, Dakotah, came in for a visit this week. Impromptu, spur of the moment kind of thing, where they called Monday night and asked if we wanted some houseguests. We said bring it on, even the dog - and they did! I was thrilled!
We drove over to Jackie's house this afternoon to visit, and it was so much fun. It doesn't matter how old we get or how much time has gone by, we fall into our conversations as if we'd done it the day before. This was such a great feeling. Basically, because familial relationships have changed and evolved - even struggled - through the years due to circumstances totally out of our control. And I hate that. I mean, REALLY hate that! But today, all the walls were down, for the first time in about 4 years. I felt like I'd been taken back in time, to a happier time. Jackie was just Jackie. April and I were just ourselves. We laughed. We heckled each other. We hugged each other. We just were.

It was amazing.

I want more days like this one.