50 Things I Love About My Sister

My sister, Julie, is turning 50 tomorrow.  I'm not quite certain how that's possible.  After all, I'm only 28, and she's only 7 years older than me.  Maybe this is that "new math" people are always talking about.  I'll have to check that with her.  (She IS a math teacher, after all.)  Anyway, it seems appropriate to take this moment to set forth some of the many, many reasons I'm so grateful to have her as a sister and why I love her so:

1. Her great big smile
2. Her sense of style
3. Her expressive eyes
4. That she manages to have "good hair" even after working out
5. Her easy laugh
6. That she is my vocal twin
7. That she is a Pisces (and some of my most favorite people in the world are Pisces!)
8. Her choice in husbands
9. Her dedication to training and staying in shape
10. Her motivation of me to do the same
11. That she's always been there for me
12. That she's let me be there for her at times, too
13. Her love for her daughter
14. That she's like a second mother to my daughter
15. Her appreciation for and understanding of math
16. Her passion for teaching
17. Her generosity
18. Her tenacity
19. That she will stand her ground when she knows she's right
20. That she has endured great heartache without letting it harden her heart
21. That she is the first person to reach out to someone else who's hurting
22. That she frequently invites me to tag along in her life
23. That she walks the walk
24. Her insight into others
25. Her empathy for others
26. That she "let" me brush her hair and rub her back when I was little (I didn't care - I just liked snuggling in her bed)
27. The time she brought me a bowl of ice cream to make me feel better when I was crying and hiding in my parents' closet
28. The time she struggled to take me up to the pool riding on the handlebars of her bike
29. Her and Karen trying to coax me down the slide at the pool when I was too scared
30. All her hand-me-down clothes
31. Watching her hug her great big Teddy Bear (was it "Mr. D"?) and cry over that boy
32. Running to Arnoldsville and back with her
33. The excellent example she set for party-throwing
34. Visiting her at MIZZOU
35. Traipsing to "Cafe Au Lait" (or was it "Olé"?), otherwise known as the dorm cafeteria, with her and her friends.
36. Accompanying her to Bullwinkle's and Harpos (at the tender age of 11)
37. Playing Ms. Pac Man with her
38. Her car which needed no key to start it
39. Knitting with her and "G-man" in the car on our way to Austin
40. Being beaten by her repeatedly in Canasta
41. Trying on swimsuits when she came to visit me in Chicago and discovering my uneven hips
42. The hazardous trek back to my dorm from Water Tower - high wind plus solid ice = fits of laughter
43. That she fell to pieces for me when they told me they'd need to put Riley on the ventilator
44. The two of us climbing into bed with Grandma and having a heart-to-heart when she had a rough night
45. Moore!  Moore! Moore!
46. That she came back and ran me across the finish line for my first triathlon -- and all the times since she's helped cheer me on
47. Discussing her bunion in Vegas (Bunion Ass!)
48. Erasing exes at Baby A's in Austin
49. Sweet Home Alabama, Puzzling Penguins, and our lovely waitress at Waffle House
50. That she always has been and always will be one of the best big sisters anyone could ever ask for.

That's just a random sampling of her many wonderful attributes and some of the memories -- both silly and somber -- we've shared over the years.  People often say I remind them of her.  I take that as a great compliment. 
 
Happy Birthday, Julie!  May the next 50 be all that you want them to be.  I love you!