{THE SISTER I NEVER HAD.........}

See this beautiful and amazing person?


Guess what?
I think shes a pretty awesome person.
She has some inspiring life experiences that i find im always drawing from.
I have watched her grow from a single and wild bachorlette into a caring, patient, forgiving, tender, and giving mom and wife these last few years.

Guess what?
Her and i. We have history.
We were born about a year apart.
I spent alot of my childhood in the care of her mom, and playing beside her.
She spent alot of time in my home, giving me relief from my sisters and mom.
Painting rocks with nail polish and then placing them back in the yard only to be found by lawnmowers. {oops}
Playing night games like hide and seek with other neighbor kids we grew up with.
Going to school together.
Spending breaks off from school together.
Running away to her house, and her running away to my house. All. the. time.
Having sleepovers and getting scared by the growling noises she would hear coming from my dad.
Going sledding together with our moms and siblings in the winter.
Riding our bikes all over our neighborhood and using our imaginations.
Running in fear and shrieking as her brothers attacked us.
We went off to girls camp together.
We had different groups of friends, but i always tried to say "Hi" to her in the halls of our schools.
She gave me some sort of sense what it would be like to have a younger sibling.
She was the little companion i begged and pleaded for my mom to have.

And honestly, we drove each other insane sometimes. But. Now that we are older i appreciate her in a whole new way.
I value the person she has become.
I am grateful for her influence in my life.
And i look at the relationship she has with her mom and i use it as motivation to improve my relationship with my mom.

I am deeply grateful that she has welcomed me into her little family and that she lets me love on and participate in her daughters lives. I'm eternally grateful. Its been such a privilege.
And im truly humbled that she loves and guides my daughter. I love that my daughter adores her "Aunt Leslie", and that she looks forward to spending time at her house and with her children. It warms my heart.

And we love swapping stories about our husbands!!!!! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

I'm eternally grateful that she has been such a wonderful example to me in the Gospel and in womanhood. Im incredibly humbled and proud that she has gone through the temple, and that she has been a support to her mom as she has done the same.

I take pride in the fact that she is my boss for one month of the year.
I look to learn from her, for opportunities to serve her, and to appreciate her as a mature adult. If it wasn't for her, i wouldn't have the ability to give my family a little extra financially.
Even though she made my cry we can now laugh about it.lol

I'm incredibly blessed to have this amazing woman in my life. I thank the Lord each day that she reached out to me, that she sees past my flaws, and that she has opened up her heart to me. She teaches me often, and supports me.

Shes the sister i never had........
Her mom did a wonderful job with her.
And the amount of laundry her and i can tackle is EPIC. Seriously. We kick ass. We are a force to be reckoned with.