dear sister

So as I said in one of my previous posts, last Saturday was my sister's 22nd birthday. Yes, she is getting on up there, I know...and I try to often remind her of how old she is. But she is my one and only sister, and I love her to death. So Natalie, this is dedicated to you...

So if you know my family, you know that we are ALL about family. The annual family vacation is a huge deal. My mom spends months toiling over where to go and then looking at travel books to plan our itinerary. And I am not complaining...we go on some pretty awesome trips. Some have included:

--Seattle/other surrounding cities: Where Natalie refused to sit up on a tree branch with me for a picture; insisted on taking a picture in front of every.single.Twilight.location we went to; refused to take a "jumping picture with me on the beach; and literally almost got left in Canada when we were crossing back over the border.

--New York: "to the left, to the left;" where I got stuck on the other side of the entrance to the subway and almost got left; and this was Natalie's favorite trip BY FAR because we got stuck in the airport for the night (you should ask her how sleeping in the freezing, noisy, hard baggage claim area was).

--Washington DC: where I sang "pet Fala, pet Fala, pet Fala Fala Fala Fala Fala" the whole trip. Enough said.

--Disney World (the first time): Where Natalie left me in a store and I was lost in Epcot for approx. 15 minutes; where we cried when they told us Blizzard Beach was closed so they let us in; where we DROVE to IN THE SATURN, yes the car I used to drive.

My parents also probably celebrated for weeks when I chose UNA because they would be able to spend ALL their extra time stalking both daughters instead of splitting their time between two colleges. But I wouldn't have it any other way...I miss them more than I ever thought possible some days. And for those of you who don't know, Natalie and I live about 4 feet away from each other this year. And I love it!

I had a rough time adjusting to being an only child when Natalie left home. It was just wayyyyy quieter and there wasn't ALWAYS someone around when I needed a friend. It has been the biggest blessing to once again live 2 doors down from my sister. Sure we don't always get along, but we love each other. She's there for my joys, sadness, frustration, anger, uncertainties, ideas, changes, and she helps me make it through the day a lot of times. Just knowing that my sister is right around the corner is the most comforting feeling. I really don't know how I'm going to deal with her leaving again in May, but the time will come, and we will be okay. And maybe even she'll end up in DC, and I will get to go visit and sing her her favorite song :)

My sister in a nutshell: caring, leader, compassionate, friend, listener, loud, over-achiever, hard-worker, assertive, calm, grounded, down-to-earth, sweet, and my best friend.


Here's to you Nat, I love you!!

xoxo, maria