Lil' Seester

So I just read a post on The Pioneer Woman website (I can't get enough of her recipes) that talked about her sister and the special bond that sisters have. It got me to thinking about my sister, Rachel.

You see, Rachel is pregnant and due to have her first child and the first grandchild of the family on or around November 13th.

Rachel is about 2 years younger than me. We grew up in the country (along with my younger brother, Kellen) so we were left with only each other to play with. And let me tell you, my siblings made great playmates. We played house, Barbies (even Kellen, who always wanted the red-headed Barbie), we put on plays, created haunted houses in the barn, went exploring down at the creek, and did weird stuff like spin around and around in the living room until we were too dizzy to walk.

This portrait of our childhood may have you picturing us skipping into the sunset holding hands. Oh, no. We fought constantly. We used to pull Rachel's hair incessantly, and she jumped on me once nearly breaking my collar bone (my poor mother!)

Once I got to junior high and then high school, I did my own thing. We shared friends, but still fought all the time. And then something happened....we grew up. Suddenly, my sister was cool and so much fun to be around. We would get dressed up and go out together, go to the movies together, or just sit around an watch Lifetime movies (all day long!) She has seen me through some of the toughest times of my life, with a kindness and honesty that only a sister could show.

Rachel and I lived together one last time for about a year and a half when I moved back to Manhattan to go to school. While we still had a few fights, I feel like we became closer than ever, and when she moved to Kansas City, it broke my heart.

In the last few years, Rachel has seen a lot of change in her life. She got married and moved back to Manhattan (while I'm thrilled about this, she kind of misses her big city life). And, as I mentioned, probably the biggest change of all, she is going to have a baby.

I can't even begin to express the kind of happiness this brings to me. Not only to have a beautiful new niece, but to get to see my sister (one of the smartest, funniest, most gorgeous women I know) become a mother. It's not going to be easy, especially when her husband is sent back to Afghanistan next year, but if anyone can do it, she can. Through all the changes in her life, I have seen a strength in her I couldn't have imagined.

Those of you who have a sister (or a brother) and share the kind of bond I share with Rachel, understand that there is nothing in the world like it. It is a bond that will carry us through the rest of our lives.

I'm so proud of you sissy!

PS I love you too Kelbell!