To My Sis; A Partner in Crime for Life

Dear Sister (a.k.a. Tee-Tee, Cookie and Christie)

I am blessed to be able to say that I have had a best friend for 32 of my 34 years of life so far. You know me better than anyone else in my life and have stood by my side through the tough times, my selfish times, my adventuresome times and my happy times. Without you in my life, my life would be incomplete. I always try to explain to people that even though I am not a genetical twin, I am a twin in every other sense. The connection that I have with you is one of a kind. The kind that I rarely see in other families yet do hear about every now and then. The kind of connection where I need to speak with you on a daily basis just to function normally in my everyday life. If I don't have that interaction, something feels not quite right; like that fuzzy in the head hang over feeling. You know you are going to be okay the next morning but aren't quite sure if you will live through the day in your discomfort. The kind of connection of knowing where to go just to be plain silly and share in stupid laughs. The kind of connection of knowing that no matter what choices I may be faced to make, that I will always have you to provide your honest insight and unconditional support.

It is scary really at just how different we are in personalities yet so exactly the same. I think that we could create an adventure that would provide us with some of the most hilarious laughs of a lifetime just out a tin can or paper bag. It is like we give each other a vibe to feed off on and just one look into your smiling eyes, I know exactly what you are thinking or visa versa. Do you remember the days that we would spend hours cleaning the dinner dishes all in the name of killing off our evil nemisis Chochi Keillor? I mean, how many other kids out there can say that they had the time of their life scraping off food plates and grease from pans in the attempt of creating a vile concoction to snuff the life out of a make belief bad guy? Or how about the hours that we spent on our bikes outfitted in spokey dokes and handle bar streamers riding around the block with Mandy and Jenny strapped to our backs with scarfs (man we could have made a killing with baby slings considering the popularity now) running from the bad guys who were trying to steal our orphaned babies? Or ... remember the Killer Bees that would suddenly swarm our bedroom out of the blue and we would be compelled to jump from bed to bed in an attempt to show off our prowress in avoiding the death stings of those giant flying planes?

No matter what adventure our creative imaginations took us on as kids, we had the time of our lives. Even if our imaginations weren't spinning in a magical wonderland, we had fun together. Okay, well perhaps most of the time. There were certainly times where we would take turns terrorizing each other as every good loving sibling does. From you stalking me in the hallways as a toddler, just awaiting to sink your fangs into my back; to me pushing you against a shower door in Hawaii which resulted in shattered plexi glass all over the hotel bedroom. But no matter the circumstance, we would always band together and support the lies to protect one another if we knew that we were in the wrong. And ... if that didn't work, locking oneself into the bathroom with the infamous line: "Since nobody loves me, I am going to swallow this bottle of aspirin". That line always worked as the person who was locked out of the bathroom, would bang on the door and beg and plead with the poor lost and wronged soul inside, reassuring them that they were loved and to just please come out. This ploy pretty much guaranteed that we would be on the same page for whatever fib was coming forth to protect our hineys.

We are lucky though as we really didn't fight much. We in truth were inseparable best friends. Best friends that were so different too. You always wanted to be like me and be the social outgoing one with all of the boyfriends and friends. And I would always want to be like you with the natural brains and talent to excel in school or athletics. Yet as we envied each other so much, we stuck together and complimented each other. You would help me with school and I would take you with me on my social outings. Did you know that I was always proud to show you off? Even in high school. Even when you struggled in school with friends, I would always be so excited to have you come out with me and my friends. I wanted you to be around me partly because I knew that I would have someone to find the humor in things and because I loved you and it just felt right.

I feel so incredibly blessed to have you as a sister, especially now that we are adults. We still laugh our pants off together and get silly, but we also respect one another as adults. I do have to admit though that it is tough for me some days to sit on that back seat and not push forward to take control of your life. I want so much for you and wish that you were in the same stage in life that I am. That we could just sit for hours and talk about our fears and the pure joy in being parents and the challenges that can come with it. Or, we could get goofy and talk about our marriages and the struggles that you overcome and the humor that you discover within it. It would just seem right after all that we have been through life together, that we share in this next chapter of our lives together. I will have to learn to be patient though as you can't force things to happen. Your life will fall into place as fate and you make it so. So, for the short term, I will be contented with you sharing my experiences of being a mom by being the best auntie my children could ask for. And I will be contented in knowing that you are still my best friend and would move heaven and earth to take care of me or my family should the circumstance arrive.

Thank you Cookie for being you. You are not only my sister and best friend, you are my hero, my back bone of support and a bright ray of sun shine in my life. I am truly blessed to have such an incredible relationship with you and look forward to the many more journeys and adventures that our lives will bring forth to us.