What is a cousin? Are they simply just a relative? To me, a cousin is much more than just that. My cousin Anna isn’t just one of my cousins, she is someone who I look up to as a role model every day of my life.

My cousin and I are very much alike. We are so much alike that many people could mistake for being sisters! We both have blonde hair, blue eyes, and we’re only about 5’ 3”. We often get made fun of for our height, but are still proud to have inherited it from our grandma’s side of the family. Not only are our looks alike, but our personalities are similar. We are both very loving people and are considerate of others. We also love to have fun, often when we are together we do nothing but laugh.

Right now, Anna is nineteen and I am fifteen. Despite the four year age difference, my cousin and I are very close. We practically grew up together, and have always been good friends. We always had a lot of fun and liked to use our imaginations. One time I always will remember was when she was about nine and I was about five. She used to put my hair into pigtails so I would look like “Baby Spice” from the Spice Girls. We also used to pretend to be from another country and would write notes to each other as if we were writing from that country. I even have one of the notes Anna wrote, and I always look back on it and laugh at how much fun we had using our imaginations.

Our families are very close, we are like one big family. I get to see them not only on every holiday, but I also see them for birthday parties or even when we all just get together. Both of our families love to go camping and that is one thing we try and do together at least once every summer. I remember almost every vacation our families have gone on together, even as far back as from when I was only about two years old, and Anna and I were sitting in the bed of my dad’s pickup truck drinking juice while we were on our way to New Mexico. It’s funny how we seem to remember the littlest things. I think I remember these vacations because there were so many good times I had while on them.

By going on these vacations, it allows me to spend more time with Anna and we have definitely made a lot of good memories while going on these trips. These are some of the benefits of being so close to her family. Anna’s mom and dad are my godparents and they care about me a lot and I know that if I ever need anything they will be there. Anna is always welcome at our house and she will sometimes come over to spend time with my family. I really like when she comes over because I know she enjoys being with my family and me.

When she comes over we usually talk about a lot of things. I like talking to her because sometimes I tell her things that I normally wouldn’t tell other people and I trust her with it. I tell her about my boy troubles and she always helps me through it. I also tell her about what it is like in high school and she tells me about what it was like when she was in high school as well. She is always there to help me and give me advice or even just be someone to listen.
Anna is a really good person to talk to. She understands me and I feel comfortable telling her things. Having graduated high school already, she has been through all the hardships of high school, and she knows what it is like to be a teenager. She knows how difficult parents can be, and how friends and boys can cause a lot of drama in high school. Being able to tell her things and talk to her has made us even closer. I know that she will always be there to listen to me no matter what. She is a great listener and she also gives good advice. Anna is always looking out for me, even when I post a Facebook status and it seems like something is wrong, she will always text me and make sure everything is okay. She even told me she is always looking out for me and having heard her say that makes me feel good because I know that she really cares for me. My cousin has a younger sister who is two years younger than me and we get closer and closer every day. We love to spend time together and we talk a lot. I hope to be someone that she can come to at anytime and I want to always be there for her, just as Anna is there for me.

Not only is my cousin a great person, but she is also a great role model. During high school she was very successful in both sports and academics. She received a scholarship to UNO and currently achieves good grades at UNO majoring in architectural engineering. She keeps me motivated to stay on top of my schoolwork because I know if I do it will benefit me in the long run. Anna also maintains a good outlook on life and has taught me to enjoy my life as much as I can.

I have always looked up to Anna; she influences me in more ways than one. She influences me by the way she lives her everyday life. One thing that Anna and I have in common is our love of softball. We have both been playing softball ever since we were little girls. I used to go and watch her pitch in softball games all the time, and I told myself I wanted to be just like her. Guess what I became as soon as I was able to? A pitcher. By watching her she has motivated me to be determined in all that I do, and never give up.

I am the oldest of four children so both of my brothers and sister have someone to look up to, but with me being the oldest, I don’t have a sibling to look up to. Anna has become an older sister figure to me. She is the one I talk to about problems, the one who has influence on things I do, the one who is always there for me. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have someone like her in my life to play that role of an older sister.

As you can see I look up to my cousin a lot and she plays a very large role in my life. I know that she will always be there for me and I will always be there for her as well. We have grown up together and are both alike in many ways. We love and care for each other very much and we always will. So what is a cousin? Are they a relative or a friend? To me, my cousin Anna and I aren’t just relatives or even friends. We are sisters at heart.