💛 A Letter to the Strongest Person I Know: Izzy

Let’s talk about my cousin my favorite pain in the ass the one and only Izzy.

If you know her, you already know she’s built different. If you don’t know her, well… let me introduce you to a woman who could probably survive the apocalypse with nothing but Dr.pepper, pure spite, and a playlist filled with sad songs.

🌪 She Handles Life Like a Pro (Meanwhile I’m Spiraling in the Corner)

I’ll be honest: Izzy handles things way better than I do. Where I’m over here catastrophizing, pacing, journaling, and maybe crying into a blanket burrito, she’s just… steady. She takes the hit, processes it, shrugs, and keeps going.

It’s not that she doesn’t feel things she feels everything she just refuses to let life knock her down for long. She’s the kind of strong that isn’t loud or showy. It’s the quiet, stubborn, “I’m going to get through this even if I have to drag myself by the hair” kind of strength.

💛 She Cares Even When She’s Hurting

This is the part that gets me every time.

Even when she’s going through her own storms, she still checks on everyone else. She still makes sure people are okay. She still gives, even when she’s running on fumes. And half the time? The people she’s helping don’t even deserve her kindness but she gives it anyway.

That’s just who she is.

She’ll be dealing with something heavy, and somehow she’s still the one asking, “Are you good?”
Like girl… no. You are the one who needs a hug and a nap.

But that’s her heart. Big, messy, generous, and way too soft for this world even if she pretends she’s tough 24/7.

😂 Our Crying Photo Collection: A Masterpiece in Progress

One thing about me and Izzy? We cry. A lot. Happy tears, sad tears, stressed tears, “I saw a cute dog” tears we do not discriminate.

At some point, instead of pretending we were emotionally stable, we just started documenting it. And now we have an entire collection of crying photos like it’s a scrapbook of our mental breakdowns.

Some cousins bond over vacations.
Some cousins bond over childhood memories.
We bond over sending each other selfies with mascara running down our faces like, “Look at me suffering, isn’t it beautiful?”

Honestly, it’s iconic. It’s vulnerable. It’s art.
And it’s also proof that even when we’re falling apart, we’re falling apart together.

😂 She’s a Pain in the Ass… and I Wouldn’t Change a Thing

Let’s be real: Izzy can be annoying. She can be stubborn. She can roast you so fast you don’t even realize you’ve been insulted until five minutes later. She definitely reminds me about my past mistakes (stop laughing izzy) but thats why shes great. She humbles you real fast.

But that’s exactly why she’s my favorite cousin.

She’s the perfect mix of chaos and comfort. She’ll argue with you, make fun of you, and drive you up a wall and then turn around and defend you like a guard dog if anyone else tries it.

She’s the person you want in your corner.
She’s the person you want in your life.
She’s the person who makes everything a little lighter, a little funnier, a little more survivable.

✨ The Truth Is…

Izzy is strong in all the ways that matter.
She’s caring in all the ways people don’t always notice.
She’s loyal in a way that’s rare.
She’s tough, soft, chaotic, loving, and absolutely irreplaceable.

And yeah she’s a pain in the ass.
But she’s my pain in the ass.
And I wouldn’t trade her for anything.