Happy Birthday Nicole!

Above: The Birthday Girl, Nicole! circa 1979.

My first cousin Nicole's birthday is this month, I think it might be today; I was never any good at remembering birthdays! Anyway, I want to wish my cousin a very Happy Birthday! I do not see her or her family as much as I would like but I think about them a lot.

Above: Blast from the past! 1981 (left to right) Back row: Mom, baby brother Noah, step-father Ed, Aunt Lauire, Meme and Uncel Bernie. Front Row: (left to right) Me, cousin Nicole, cousin Todd, brother Nathan and cousin Timothy.
***Notice I am not wearing any shows, I never wore shoes as a child. I was like a monkey.

When I was a kid I used to want to live with my uncle Bernie, aunt Laurie and my three cousins; Nicole, Todd and Tim. I really loved spending time with them as a child and felt at ease and comfortable around them. There were only a few places I felt safe as a child, my grandparents house and my uncle Bernie and aunt Laurie's house. My fondest memories as a child are with them and my grandparents. As I grew into my teen years, I lost touch with them for many years until our grandmother died in 2003. I reunited with them that Christmas and it was probably one of the best Christmas' I have ever had up until that point in my life. They are all happy, funny, enjoyable, non-drama people and I was thankful that we all reunited.

Above: Don't we look alike?? hee hee. Beautiful Nicole today! 2007

So back to Nicole…she's pretty much the same age as I am and I connect with her. I could only imagine if I lived closer to her and saw her all the time how much more we would bond. I think of her as a sister and last time I saw her it was uncanny how much alike we were and it made me smile. She's a beautiful woman, with three adorable boys (one of the being her husband) and I just love her. I am hoping someday when I do move back to the Boston area, which will happen someday, that I can spend more time with her. Nicole and her entire family are the greatest. ☺

PS: Nicole, don’t kill me for putting pictures of us on here from when we were kids:-P