Jessica is not really a cousin though. She is pretty much my sister. Yes, we have different parents, but other than that, we are sisters. We look alike, act alike, and she even lived with my family for a while after she graduated college. That was one of the highlights of my youth! I was about 14 or 15 years old and very emotional, so it was nice to have a big "sister" around to cope with my irrational emotions. Ha! If you knew me at that age you can understand the martyrdom that Jessica deserves.
Here are some of my favorite memories together:
1. Closet Talks- What is a closet talk you may ask? You see, when Jessica lived with us we were both going through emotional times. She was fresh out of college deciding what to do with her life and like I said, I was a bratty teenager. Whenever one of us was upset we would both go into my walk in closet, close the door, and sit on the floor among the shoes and cry until we got it all out! We had amazing talks in that closet. Most of the time, after all the tears had dried, laughter occurred and then more tears fell! Those were some great times though. If that closet could talk!
2. Dinner time with Jessica- Yet again another memory from her time in Georgia with us! We always ate dinner together as a family. Isn't that cute? But that is not the point. Jess, Hank, and I all have very hilarious, albeit, quirky senses of humor, and when they combined the end result was always someone spitting out their food in hysteria. Normally, that was me. We would laugh, choke, cry, it was gruesome and it definitely offended my ettiquette diva mother, but even she could not resist the laughter.
3. One time Jess, Ba, and I were all going shopping together. I think I was around 13 and Jess was around 21 or so. We were all in the car listening to Jessica Simpson's newest cd. She covered the song "His Eye is on the Sparrow" and made it a very pop-gospel version. We were all 3 singing and dancing along like fools! Even my grandmother who kept saying "not the bluebird but the sparrow!". We laughed and laughed. That is one of my absolute favorite memories of both of them!
4. And of course, I love the memory of the times our mom's dressed us alike. Mind you, Jess and I are 8 years apart, but that did not stop our mom's (who are sisters) from buying us matching dresses and big @$$ bows for our hair. No sir. It looked semi-normal on me because I was like 8. But Jessica was 16 and matching her little 8 year old cousin. The pictures are PRICELESS.
5. And this one I can't even BEGIN to explain to all of you out there in blog land! Two words: SISTA NANCY.
There are SOOOO many more memories. Some are precious, some are hysterical. They all live though in both of our hearts.
Jess you are so special to me. I am so incredibly thankful that God blessed me with a cousin/sister (hey we are from Arkansas...it could be so much worse). You have always been there for me and I cannot thank you enough for that. You are one of the most beautiful women on the earth, inside and out. Seriously! You are so beautiful. You are so kind and an amazing mother to Reagan. You and Scott have a wonderful marriage and one that Drew and I model ours after. I am so proud to know you. I can't wait until we can reunite and have some more closet talks. I look up to you in every way.
Love you bunches.
MB (aka...sista Nancy)
This was us then......
