I changed the name of my blog, but I’m still Aimee from Tasty Bite, in case you got confused. 

For the short version:
I spent the last four days in the small town of Ruston, Louisiana baking a chocolate doberge cake with my cousin Wesley, watching the Hallmark channel, laughing with my cousin Rachel and her husband, David, and not losing their pekingese dogs. Writing this specific post is confusing because my thoughts dig deep to the earth’s core, but the reality was much-needed belly-cramping-snort-laughter.

For the long version:
A little over seven years ago was the last time I visited them. Anyone who reads this blog knows that seven years ago, Jesus rescued me. While nobody knew the extent of what I was going through, I was stuck in unacknowledged grief, was depressed, struggling, filled with anxiety, and I did not want to live like that anymore.

You know those people you can not explain, but are lovely? You can not describe why, but the world is much more beautiful because they are in it? They are warm and friendly, give you the space to be yourself, and never try to change who you are, but instead laugh you through it.

They are nothing like that.

I am kidding. (I’m assuming I’ve sent this post for them to read, and we won’t acknowledge it.)

In 2012 I started exercising to deal with my anxiety. David noticed the new athleticism and encouraged me to run my first half marathon. I had never run in my life, but he said, “You can do it”. For some reason that was enough for me to accept the challenge, and I ran as if I didn’t I would die and completed my first one in February of 2013. It was one of the proudest moments of my entire life, and little did I know it was a tiny seed that had been planted for later I would find out he prayed for me.

When the running stopped fixing things during another visit, I told Rachel I was having trouble and did not tell her much more than that. It was early morning, and we were sitting on her sofa drinking coffee before she was to get ready for work. Her response was, “Maybe your seasons are changing.”

I will never forget that moment as long as I live because not only were my seasons changing, but God was calling me. When I left her house, quite frankly, all hell broke loose. My life was flipped upside down, and I was holding on for dear life. I went from being terrified of everything, and Ruston being the farthest I had traveled, to ending up in Ireland by myself. A lot happened after I left her house seven years ago, and little did I know I would never return as the same person. Thank God.

Wait—I take back what I said. I did visit once after going to Ireland because I remember telling her what happened, and she said, “So you’re saying it’s MY fault??”. 

That was the background story to catch you up to the present day. A few days after my ‘great’ road trip of moving my cousin Emily across the country to Washington, I FINALLY went to see a few of my other favorite people in the whole world. Coming from a large Italian family, I have at least one billion cousins on my dad’s side, and Rachel is one of my third cousins (and claims to be my grandma’s favorite). If you read my blog or have ever met me in real life, you will know that God miraculously provided a car after four years of being without one. A lot happened within those four years, but it was part of the process that began three years before when I got saved.

Over the years of hearing, “when are you coming up here”, my response was that when I got a car, their house would be the first place I go. (Technically, I made the trip to Washington first, but I did not go in my car.) I do not think there is a better way to continue this new season of my life except with where God began His work in me.

To be honest, and because I am me, I did have anxiety about going on a trip right after going across the country, thinking how much I wanted to be in my bed. However, it was selfish because I wanted to see them and knew I’d get over it. On the drive up to Ruston, I realized I had not spent time with them since before getting saved and that I am an entirely different person now. Without much thought, I started weeping uncontrollably, and I could not stop. I was so confused about the random flood of emotions, and it hit me so suddenly I knew it was a God-inspired trip. I thought how thankful I am for all that happened and for knowing them. Everything came full circle at that moment.

It was so crazy because it is not that I have not talked to them since my last visit. While God was emptying my life, He was also bringing me His people, and I clung to the ones He let me keep. I text with David all the time.

I sent a quick video as a warning that I may be sobbing when I see them, giving them the option to tell me to turn around. Speak now or forever hold your peace.

The little I knew of David years ago is that he has the quirkiest sense of humor, knows about the most random information on the planet, could quote scripture, and constantly corrects my New Orleans accent of “asking, not axing” questions. 

A few years ago, when God opened my eyes to His truth and had a million questions, I figured David might know about a particular subject. I sent a simple sentence, “Have you ever heard of (name of religious cult here)?” and from that point on have novel-spam-texted him with no shame for years. Anyone who was with me during the water-baptism fiasco is unfortunately stuck with me for life. What a time to be alive! I went from knowing him as someone hilarious with lightning wit to know him as my brother in Christ, who is also hilarious with lightning wit.

The best part of the whole experience is that while my entire life was falling apart, they lived their lives and being who God made them to be.

They have the gift of hospitality with an open door policy and quirky sense of humor, meaning you could not be miserable at their house if you tried.

While this post was explaining my thoughts of them, they also have two sons. One is married and raising a beautiful family in Texas, and their other son is disabled. Like my buddy Brent, Wesley is another of the most genuine and beautiful people God has ever created. His favorite song is “Should’ve been a cowboy” by Toby Keith, and we spent the week baking a cake his mom has asked me for years to bake. Every day, he picked me a flower, told me he loved me, and I got more hugs in four days than I have gotten all year.

Last but not least, I got to visit David’s mom, who is also one of my favorite humans. To summarize her, I will share part of a conversation she and Wesley had:

“Wesley, who made you?”
“God”
“What else did God make?”
“All things”
“Why did God make you and all things?”
“For His glory.”

See David, there was more to my visit than watching Hallmark all day.

“When you find people who not only tolerate your quirks but celebrate them with glad cries of “Me too!” be sure to cherish them. Because those weirdos are your tribe.”