V: "The Gospel According to Travis" Part 2
Yesterday I wrote about all my first cousins on my father's side of the family. Today, I will be writing about the cousins on my mom's side, which is a much shorter list, but also is the side I have been more close with growing up because of our proximity to each other. In general, the cousins on the Hendershott side of the family were at almost all holidays and family celebrations, whereas on the Strecker side, it was only the really big ones. The Hendershott side was much smaller, closer in age and miles, and thus more tight-knit. In fact we all lived about 2 miles from each other for much of our childhood, and when the youngest, Caitlyn, was born, we moved to Hays which was where she lived so then we were very close to her. Here are my cousins on my mom's side:
Brian A. - Brian was a few years older than me and I always looked up to him. He was great at sports, good-looking, always had a girlfriend, and had a great sense of adventure. He used to always try to scare all of us younger kids with feats that were probably completely illegal and unsafe but extremely exciting! One thing I'll never forget is "Grandma's Parking Lot Indie 500" where he would drive us around very fast, making very sharp corners and thrilling us endlessly. This was due to the way that one of our grandmother's, who will remain nameless out of respect, would apparently dangerously maneuver her car in a shopping center's parking lot. I also remember the time he dug a "swimming pool" near the ranch house, and of course he was always there to protect us from the "putty-putty boys" (aka Motorcyclists) we'd hear from the highway who we were sure were out to get us. Brian was there to wish Brandon and I farewell the day we left Kansas for California and I will never forget that. Recently, Brian got married to Rachel and they have a son, Beau, who I've only met once when he was little but I hope to see again soon.
Travis A. - This is where the phrase "the Gospel according to Travis" comes from, because that's what my mom would tell my brother and I anytime we were rhapsodizing about the latest topic of interest that Travis had introduced us too. Brandon and I spent a lot of time with our cousin Travis, because he was just a few years older than us and he could be the leader, getting us into all sorts of fun and trouble. He knew everything there was to know in Paradise because he had already learned it from hanging out with the older boys in town, like Brian, Matt and Craig Hoisington, and others who had all moved on to high school by then. So we thought everything Travis said or did was the ultimate in cool and anything he was interested in, interested us too. Whether it was sticker or baseball card collecting, Wham!, Duran Duran, Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, or some game he would invent, we always wanted to be a part of it. Travis was basically like our big brother who was only around for the fun times, and then he would have to go home before we would get into a fight or he would get tired of us. Travis is now married to Natalie, who went to school with us back in Paradise, and they have a daughter named Alice. We stay in touch over the internet mainly and get to see them every once in a great while.
Andrea H. - If Travis was like our older brother, Andrea was definitely our "sister-from-another-mister" (© Adrienne Strecker). In fact, Andrea even lived with for a short time when she and Brandon were in high school together. Andrea was always very imaginative and a great story teller, so she was always perfect in our adventures whether it was playing out in the sand-pile or recording shows for our own network, UBC, in our basement. As we got older, Andrea and I became very close because we would be the only two at home right after school most days so we'd go shopping and stuff like that a lot. She was one of the first people I came out to because she already knew my first boyfriend from when she went to school in Lucas. Despite a few years of estrangement after I moved to LA, we worked through some issues and are now just as close, as we often text and call each other and I try to make her come to Kansas City anytime I come home. She married a guy named Dallas who was a year below me at Hays High School and they have three awesome kids, Tana, Kaden and Gage who I think of more as my neice and nephews.
Caitlyn H. - She is the baby of the family! Quite a bit younger than any of the rest of us, we all remember her being born and many of us would baby-sit her when she was young. As a toddler she even got to appear in some of our UBC videos. I think I can speak for all of us Hendershott cousins in saying we just loved having a new cousin around, and we always knew that she was a special girl. She is an "old soul" and always was wise beyond her years, talking endlessly about things like archaeology and dinosaurs when she had just learned to speak! Brandon and I have always been close with our uncle Ronnie, her dad, so we saw a lot of Caitlyn throughout her life and just recently we got to spend time with her and her husband, Cody, when we went back to Kansas City for my sister's 30th. They are hoping to come out and visit us in LA soon which would be great.
So, there you have it - all my first cousins from both sides of the family and who they are to me. And if you're one of my cousins reading this, remember you are always welcome in Los Angeles!
Brian A. - Brian was a few years older than me and I always looked up to him. He was great at sports, good-looking, always had a girlfriend, and had a great sense of adventure. He used to always try to scare all of us younger kids with feats that were probably completely illegal and unsafe but extremely exciting! One thing I'll never forget is "Grandma's Parking Lot Indie 500" where he would drive us around very fast, making very sharp corners and thrilling us endlessly. This was due to the way that one of our grandmother's, who will remain nameless out of respect, would apparently dangerously maneuver her car in a shopping center's parking lot. I also remember the time he dug a "swimming pool" near the ranch house, and of course he was always there to protect us from the "putty-putty boys" (aka Motorcyclists) we'd hear from the highway who we were sure were out to get us. Brian was there to wish Brandon and I farewell the day we left Kansas for California and I will never forget that. Recently, Brian got married to Rachel and they have a son, Beau, who I've only met once when he was little but I hope to see again soon.
Travis A. - This is where the phrase "the Gospel according to Travis" comes from, because that's what my mom would tell my brother and I anytime we were rhapsodizing about the latest topic of interest that Travis had introduced us too. Brandon and I spent a lot of time with our cousin Travis, because he was just a few years older than us and he could be the leader, getting us into all sorts of fun and trouble. He knew everything there was to know in Paradise because he had already learned it from hanging out with the older boys in town, like Brian, Matt and Craig Hoisington, and others who had all moved on to high school by then. So we thought everything Travis said or did was the ultimate in cool and anything he was interested in, interested us too. Whether it was sticker or baseball card collecting, Wham!, Duran Duran, Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, or some game he would invent, we always wanted to be a part of it. Travis was basically like our big brother who was only around for the fun times, and then he would have to go home before we would get into a fight or he would get tired of us. Travis is now married to Natalie, who went to school with us back in Paradise, and they have a daughter named Alice. We stay in touch over the internet mainly and get to see them every once in a great while.
Andrea H. - If Travis was like our older brother, Andrea was definitely our "sister-from-another-mister" (© Adrienne Strecker). In fact, Andrea even lived with for a short time when she and Brandon were in high school together. Andrea was always very imaginative and a great story teller, so she was always perfect in our adventures whether it was playing out in the sand-pile or recording shows for our own network, UBC, in our basement. As we got older, Andrea and I became very close because we would be the only two at home right after school most days so we'd go shopping and stuff like that a lot. She was one of the first people I came out to because she already knew my first boyfriend from when she went to school in Lucas. Despite a few years of estrangement after I moved to LA, we worked through some issues and are now just as close, as we often text and call each other and I try to make her come to Kansas City anytime I come home. She married a guy named Dallas who was a year below me at Hays High School and they have three awesome kids, Tana, Kaden and Gage who I think of more as my neice and nephews.
Caitlyn H. - She is the baby of the family! Quite a bit younger than any of the rest of us, we all remember her being born and many of us would baby-sit her when she was young. As a toddler she even got to appear in some of our UBC videos. I think I can speak for all of us Hendershott cousins in saying we just loved having a new cousin around, and we always knew that she was a special girl. She is an "old soul" and always was wise beyond her years, talking endlessly about things like archaeology and dinosaurs when she had just learned to speak! Brandon and I have always been close with our uncle Ronnie, her dad, so we saw a lot of Caitlyn throughout her life and just recently we got to spend time with her and her husband, Cody, when we went back to Kansas City for my sister's 30th. They are hoping to come out and visit us in LA soon which would be great.
So, there you have it - all my first cousins from both sides of the family and who they are to me. And if you're one of my cousins reading this, remember you are always welcome in Los Angeles!
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