Tina

My cousin Tina is one of those "near and dear" to me in life.  We're only 9 months apart in age and grew up around each other alot, so really she feels more like a second sister, one that was closer in age to me than Jamie. 

This is Tina and me on my wedding day.



I have so many crazy childhood memories with her...

Birthday parties that involved dancing and singing to Spice Girls and pranking people who fell asleep...

Getting my first tooth fairy visit at her house...

Riding four-wheelers at my house all the time...it's all we ever wanted to do.  Cops and Robbers in the field with the boys and Jamie and sometimes the Case kids. 

Spending at least a week of every summer at her house, hanging out at her neighborhood pool with all her friends.  I was such a tag-along, the grade below all of them...

Trick-or-treating in her neighborhood...

Getting mad at each other over stupid stuff and banning each other from sleeping in our room.  She'd kick me out and tell me I'd have to go sleep somewhere else that night or vice versa if we were at my house... usually we got over it before night came though and didn't have to go find some other room to sleep in.  Once, when she got mad, Andrea (her older sister) took me in and bought me ice cream off the ice cream truck (we didn't tell Tina) and taught me the macarena until Tina got over being mad at me.

Hiding in Andrea's closet and spying on her when she was on the phone talking to boys (well, A boy...Jimmy) in high school...she'd always find us and make Steve kick us out...

Getting booted to pallets on the bonus room floor when all the family was there, so we made a slide by sliding off the table on a pool raft...in the middle of the night, waking everyone in the house up...

Getting grounded together...

Staying awake way past our bed time, giggling and talking til Uncle Steve would come down to check on us and we'd always hear him coming and roll over, pull the covers up and pretend to be asleep when he opened the door...

Deciding to be pen pals and play tic-tac-toe through the mail.  Every time it was our turn to write back, we'd get a turn...

Having such similar taste that one summer we ended up with the same bathing suit, after having the same kids bedspread we were shopping with our grandmother to redo our rooms and came around an aisle having both found a comforter that we loved to find that it was the same one, so we both had the same bedrooms in high school, then just a couple weeks ago I bought some bedding for our guest room and when Andrea and her kids stopped by to spend the night on the way home from DC, Alicia said "that's the same comforter that Tina just got!"...and we registered for the same dishes.  haha! 

We both always talked about living together after college (I got married and ruined that plan, sorry Tina!) and always said we'd have a red couch.  I did end up with a red couch :)

Spent a night in the bathroom once in sleeping bags and played cards, and I can't remember why, lol.

Anyway...that same Tina that I share all those memories, and a thousand more with, caught the bouquet at my wedding...

...and now she is getting married Friday night!

And I am so excited for her and honored to be a part of her special day!

Cousins!  Andrea and Tina with me and Jamie

Me and Tina at one of her showers

 We love Wes, her fiance.  He is great, perfect for her and fits perfectly into her family.  Ryan and I both love hanging out with the two of them. 

Us with Tina and Wes at their couples shower

I'm flying to Atlanta this afternoon so I can join in all of the wedding festivities over the next couple of days!  Mom is doing her bridesmaid's luncheon tomorrow, then there's the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night and then the big day on Friday! Can't wait!

I love you Tina!!!