My dearest cousins,
I can't even begin to describe how much you mean to me. I'm so proud of all of you and all you have accomplished. You're all growing up too fast and I can't stand that thought, though the older you get the more I can talk to you guys about.
I'm the oldest of our families; the oldest of both my sets of grandparents. I can remember the excitement I felt when I was four years old and found out I was going to have a little cousin in the family. That being said, there's quite an age difference between me and the second oldest.
Every time I found out I was going to have another little cousin, I felt the same excitement. Another lifelong friend, and another smiling face at the dinner table. Now I have nine cousins, all of whom I love to death, and who's ages range from 16 to 4.
You guys fill my life with excitement. When I started driving myself around, I also started driving you around. I couldn't wait to put you guys in my car and head to the beach for a weekend, or head over to see Tugboat Dan. We've had laughs, serious discussions, and we've sang more times than I can even remember. I've also brought you home from practices, rehearsals, and lessons. I never once complained, and I was always excited to see your smiling faces.
You also fill my life with joy and happiness. I don't have any siblings like the rest of you, but it's comforting to know that you all accept me as your extra sister, who just lives with her own parents. Some of you I see almost every Sunday, and some of you less often. However, I know that whenever I do see you, it's almost always with a smile on your face. You brighten my world up and I love being able to spend time with you.
Perhaps the hardest part of college is not having you guys around to cheer me up and push me to do my best. I go weeks at a time without seeing you, and it's hard, but I always look forward to seeing your smiles when I get home.
Thank you for always letting me sit down and talk to you when I need to! When I was upset this past year over losing my dog that was so near and dear to my heart, you all were able to step in and just talk to me. It got my mind off of what was going on in my life and made me smile. You all make me laugh.
I can't say thank you enough for all that you do for me. I may be the old "uncool" college kid, but you all look forward to seeing me and sitting down to talk with me, and that's all I can ask of you. You guys mean the world to me and I wouldn't be who I am without each of your encouragement.
With love,
Cakey
