My Sister's Birthday

Today is my sister's birthday--Happy Birthday, Barbara!!! Now, chances are she'll never read this, as she's living the country life in Wyoming, but she deserves a shout-out anyway...

She and I have an on-going joke stemming from the fact that she doesn't like to own up to her age. Like, at all. She's a few years older than I am, but every year we decide that we're drifting closer and closer. Pretty soon, we say, she'll pass me up and become the new baby of the family!

The picture here is from last Christmas, when our family went up to Wyoming to spend Christmas with her family. It was an amazing time, and this moment captures the two of us being towed up a mountain, only to tube down it at lightning (well, pretty fast) speed. Barb's in the foreground. She lives in this wintry climate, so she's wearing the cute jacket and stylish headband. I'm further back, and if you could see me, you'd see me in my dad's winter coat, an ill-fitting hat, brand-new snowboots. She's the snow bunny, I'm the slope ragamuffin. A better picture of my life with Barbara would be one of us spinning down the mountain, though. She was a teenager when I was playing with dolls. She was building her life and family while I was trudging through puberty, and now--well, life just goes by to quickly for the both of us. She spins in her circle; I spin in mine.

But, every now and then--never often enough--one of us picks up the phone and calls. We'll giggle within the first 2 seconds of the conversation, and laugh often throughout. She's always been a spark in my life--beauty to aspire to, values to emulate, and the best cook I know!

So, Happy Birthday, Barbara! Here's wishing you a Red Velvet Cake!