My Two Cousins

I have many cousins. Sixteen of us on my Dad's side of the family. Nine of us in total on my Mom's side.

One of those cousins is my cousin Josh. Our dad's are brothers. In fact, they were married in a double wedding. Back from 2001-2003, my cousin Josh and his awesome wife, Sarah, moved in across the street from us in a duplex in Franklin, Kentucky. We were all in our early 20's, mostly broke, and just enjoying our new marriages. They were our very best friends, and I absolutely fell in love with Sarah. To this day she remains one of my very dearest friends. 

This weekend, Sarah, who is now a pastor's wife, invited me to attend her church's women's retreat in our old hometown: Franklin, Kentucky. This is the first time Sarah and I have been back in Franklin together since 2003. When we left Franklin, we had ZERO children between us. As of this picture below, there are EIGHT children between us. We each have two boys and two girls! And, ironically, she had two boys and two girls in the same order that I did!

Sarah and Wendi

I have always felt at home amongst Sarah's church and loved the ladies there. I so appreciated them allowing me to crash their party. 

I brought along another cousin's wife. Eddie's mom, Janet, and my mom are sisters. He is married to the awesome Hannah. Hannah and Eddie love our farm, and we've actually been in some discussions about a ministry that God has laid on our hearts combining both of our families. I hope to share more about this in the future, but for now I'll just ask you to pray that God continues to guide our families in the direction he has for HIS LAND.

Wendi and Hannah

Hannah and Eddie have five amazing children ranging from 4 to 12 years old, and she and I could seriously talk for hours on end. We drove four hours together to the retreat, hung out there together, and then talked for four more hours on the way home. 

(What's even more cool is that Eddie and Sarah know a lot of the same people from their connections in the Illinois area! Small world!)

I'm so blessed by some of the amazing women my paths have crossed with in my life. These are Godly ladies who love the Lord and their families. How fun to be with two of my cousin's wives on opposite sides of the family for the weekend!