Hey baby, where have you been all my life?

It’s a love story, but not just any sappy old love story; it’s a long lost but blissfully rekindled love story.

I went to Thanksgiving dinner out in the sticks. Ok, ok, it’s actually not all that far but there are no other houses in sight so it feels like it. Family, ah, wonderful loud-judgemental-gracious-rude-tacky-redneck-DidIMentionLoud, family.

As I was setting out the pickles and folding the napkins, there was quite a stir on the porch. Knowing that my aunt would have no hesitation smacking my rump with a spoon if I left my post before the task was complete (yes, I’m a full grown woman, and yes I am afraid of all my aunts), I kept my keester in place.

Then in walked HIM! Oh how my heart skipped a beat. My fingers twitched on the napkins, and I might have dumped all the pickles (dill and sweet) into the same damn bowl just so I could get up and finally greet him again.

• Me: Holy crap, look what the dog dragged in (we're not a cat crowd)! How long’s it been? Eleventy billion years?
• Him: Nah, that was your last birthday. You look good Sunshine, how tricks? (yeah he actually said "tricks", I swear!)
• Me: Can’t complain. Hey, you need help unloading your truck?

And then we went outside and proceeded to bury each other in the snow, attempt to shut the truck door on each other’s head, and raced back to the house slipping in the mud, dropping a green bean casserole and smacking each other the entire way.

Oh how I love my cousin T! When we get together, nothing else matters except who beats who at what as long as I beat him at everything!!

I love you T and I’m so glad you are back, 4 years is too damn long!!!!!