IV: "The Gospel According to Travis" The Cool Cousins of Christmas pt. 1
The holidays were always time when I got to see a lot of my relatives; some that I saw often already, but others who I rarely got to see. Most of my cousins were older than me, and they seemed so cool, mature, and smart to me! So I always liked getting to hang out with my cousins and have great memories of the games and shenanigans some of us would get up to. Here is a tribute to each and every one of my cousins and what they mean to me!
Beginning with my father's side:
Steve A. - He is definitely the cousin I am least acquainted with, most likely because he's the furthest removed in age from me. I know he was sort of the golden boy when he was young because he was the first grandchild on the Strecker side. By the time I was born though, he was already an adult and I didn't ever get to see much of him. I've heard that we have very different political and sociological viewpoints.
Jill R. - I do remember Jill being at holidays at Grandma and Grandpa's but again, we had quite a few years between us. I remember her getting married to her husband Wilber and I remember her first son, Garrick, was born just a few weeks before my sister. They have four other sons who I've all met but some of them I haven't seen for a long time. I was researching genealogy and discovered that her sons would be my first cousins once removed. So, now I know that that term means.
Amy A. - I always thought cousin Amy was very "cool"! I didn't get to see her that often but when I did she would impress me with her personality and the things she would talk about. I liked her clothes too! Once when her mom, my aunt Mary, was moving into her new house in Hays and we were all helping, I got to ride with Amy to the C-Mart to buy slushies for everyone and I thought that was pretty neat! Later in life, Amy is one of the few cousins who has been to visit me in LA and we had such a good time when she was here and I felt like we got to bond so much more than we ever had. I love talking about family stuff and she does too, history and things like that. Memories of our grandparents. I'm glad that we stay in touch!
Jane A. - I miss Jane! She used to come stay with us sometimes when I was little and even though we liked to play around and try to irritate her or get under her skin sometimes, she was always game to play back and I always looked forward to her visits. She had cool taste in music (she introduced me to Depeche Mode) and seemed like one of the more "alternative" people I knew as a kid. She became a nurse and started jet setting all over the place and she's difficult to keep track of but I think of her a lot.
Scott S. - I've always looked up to my cousins Scott and Stuart, not least of which because my parents would often ask Brandon and I, "why can't you be more like Scott and Stuart?!" They did a lot of cool things and got really good grades so it was hard to live up to them, but it did motivate me to try and be a better person, as corny as that may sound. I got to be in Scott's wedding when he and Cindy got married, which made me feel really cool and grown-up! He and his family used to live on a farm outside of Lawrence, Kansas (the coolest town in Kansas) and they built their home themselves out of sod and other materials. It was really amazing and I am so happy to have made some good memories there with them. They recently moved to Portland, OR, and I have yet to visit them but intend to in 2012.
Stuart S. - Stuart was just a little older than Brandon and I so he was the closest male cousin, in age, to us and we used to look up to him a lot but also had a lot of fun playing games out on the farm with him. He played drums in a rock band in high school which obviously left a big impression on me! I remember going to their house in Great Bend one time and seeing his drum set and being in awe, and also when we got their band's tape. Stuart is married to a very cool gal named Lori and they have two daughters who are both very smart and musical. I enjoy getting to see them all occasionally when I visit Kansas, as they live in Lawrence.
Kim S. - Kim is also quite a bit older than me so I don't have as many memories of her, but I do remember her being at the holidays when I was little and I remember going to her wedding. It was the first time I had been to a Catholic wedding and it was quite impressive! So much ritual and formality. Kim has two children and I remember Brent being near Adrienne's age so sometimes we would see him at the holidays but that was so long ago, I haven't seen any of them in years.
Denise H. - Denise was my closest cousin on my dad's side because we are so close in age, and we both have red hair. We could have passed for siblings when we were younger. I remember whenever I would see Denise at Thanksgiving or other family events when we were little, we would both be shy at first and someone, usually my mom, would have to break the ice to get us to start talking! But then we would be off, playing some silly game like "Baby Run-Away" or making up stories about the farm. Denise was a "city girl" who I sometimes got to visit at her home in Great Bend, but more often we would see each other at our Grandparent's farm and it was always funny to us how she was not used to farm life like me and my siblings were. So we had fun showing her the ways of the farm! Later in college, we both went to FHSU together and we got to hang out occasionally which was a lot of fun. Denise married a guy named Rich who was in my class in high school, and they have a beautiful daughter, Jenna.
Beginning with my father's side:
Steve A. - He is definitely the cousin I am least acquainted with, most likely because he's the furthest removed in age from me. I know he was sort of the golden boy when he was young because he was the first grandchild on the Strecker side. By the time I was born though, he was already an adult and I didn't ever get to see much of him. I've heard that we have very different political and sociological viewpoints.
Jill R. - I do remember Jill being at holidays at Grandma and Grandpa's but again, we had quite a few years between us. I remember her getting married to her husband Wilber and I remember her first son, Garrick, was born just a few weeks before my sister. They have four other sons who I've all met but some of them I haven't seen for a long time. I was researching genealogy and discovered that her sons would be my first cousins once removed. So, now I know that that term means.
Amy A. - I always thought cousin Amy was very "cool"! I didn't get to see her that often but when I did she would impress me with her personality and the things she would talk about. I liked her clothes too! Once when her mom, my aunt Mary, was moving into her new house in Hays and we were all helping, I got to ride with Amy to the C-Mart to buy slushies for everyone and I thought that was pretty neat! Later in life, Amy is one of the few cousins who has been to visit me in LA and we had such a good time when she was here and I felt like we got to bond so much more than we ever had. I love talking about family stuff and she does too, history and things like that. Memories of our grandparents. I'm glad that we stay in touch!
Jane A. - I miss Jane! She used to come stay with us sometimes when I was little and even though we liked to play around and try to irritate her or get under her skin sometimes, she was always game to play back and I always looked forward to her visits. She had cool taste in music (she introduced me to Depeche Mode) and seemed like one of the more "alternative" people I knew as a kid. She became a nurse and started jet setting all over the place and she's difficult to keep track of but I think of her a lot.
Scott S. - I've always looked up to my cousins Scott and Stuart, not least of which because my parents would often ask Brandon and I, "why can't you be more like Scott and Stuart?!" They did a lot of cool things and got really good grades so it was hard to live up to them, but it did motivate me to try and be a better person, as corny as that may sound. I got to be in Scott's wedding when he and Cindy got married, which made me feel really cool and grown-up! He and his family used to live on a farm outside of Lawrence, Kansas (the coolest town in Kansas) and they built their home themselves out of sod and other materials. It was really amazing and I am so happy to have made some good memories there with them. They recently moved to Portland, OR, and I have yet to visit them but intend to in 2012.
Stuart S. - Stuart was just a little older than Brandon and I so he was the closest male cousin, in age, to us and we used to look up to him a lot but also had a lot of fun playing games out on the farm with him. He played drums in a rock band in high school which obviously left a big impression on me! I remember going to their house in Great Bend one time and seeing his drum set and being in awe, and also when we got their band's tape. Stuart is married to a very cool gal named Lori and they have two daughters who are both very smart and musical. I enjoy getting to see them all occasionally when I visit Kansas, as they live in Lawrence.
Kim S. - Kim is also quite a bit older than me so I don't have as many memories of her, but I do remember her being at the holidays when I was little and I remember going to her wedding. It was the first time I had been to a Catholic wedding and it was quite impressive! So much ritual and formality. Kim has two children and I remember Brent being near Adrienne's age so sometimes we would see him at the holidays but that was so long ago, I haven't seen any of them in years.
Denise H. - Denise was my closest cousin on my dad's side because we are so close in age, and we both have red hair. We could have passed for siblings when we were younger. I remember whenever I would see Denise at Thanksgiving or other family events when we were little, we would both be shy at first and someone, usually my mom, would have to break the ice to get us to start talking! But then we would be off, playing some silly game like "Baby Run-Away" or making up stories about the farm. Denise was a "city girl" who I sometimes got to visit at her home in Great Bend, but more often we would see each other at our Grandparent's farm and it was always funny to us how she was not used to farm life like me and my siblings were. So we had fun showing her the ways of the farm! Later in college, we both went to FHSU together and we got to hang out occasionally which was a lot of fun. Denise married a guy named Rich who was in my class in high school, and they have a beautiful daughter, Jenna.
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