Happy Birthday, Lisa!!

      Today, in Mongolia, is my one and only sister's birthday!  So I have to post this the night before May 13th, so she can get her greeting on time there!  Do you get that?  They are 14 hours ahead of us...I don't want to be late....and in our family we all try to be the first one to wish each other a Happy Birthday....

      So....Happy Birthday, Lisa!  I still remember the day you came home from the hospital...I had 4 younger brothers and then....miracle of miracles, my Mom had a baby girl!  I was 7 and so excited...yes, you heard me right.  I was 7 and I had 4 younger brothers and now a baby sister.  My parents didn't mess around....well, maybe they....well, you figure it out.  They also had 2 more boys after my sister!  But anyway...

      I was the bestest big sister a little girl could have, right Lisa?  I played Barbies when I was 14, because she was 7 and loved them.  We played house, paper dolls, all those fun things together....of course, there was always a brother or 2 thrown into the mix....they always thought whatever we were doing looked like fun!  I had the most fun dressing my sister and fixing her hair.  You see, she had this beautiful naturally curly hair that did anything....and my hair was straight.  She would sit and let me play with her like a doll.  Thanks, Lis, for letting me have that fun!

      When I got married at 20, my sister was a junior bridesmaid in my wedding.  She thought that was way cool!  I did too.  When I started my family at 22, my sister was in high school, but she wasn't too cool to play the part of "Auntie" to my kids.  During her college years, she came to live with us for 6 months and I know my kids thought everyday was a holiday!  Aunt Lisa was there all the time to play...she was always an adventurous kid...6 brothers will do that to you!  She loved hiking, biking, camping, etc. and let my kids experience those things with her, even if it was in a tent in our basement.

      When she got married, I was her maid of honor....or is it matron of honor?  Anyway, she was a beautiful bride.  When I was expecting our 4th child, she was expecting her first.  We shared lots of pregnancy aches and blessings.  She had a girl....I had a boy....and they grew up together for the next 3 years.

      Then, we moved to Minnesota to buy our resort and my sister and her family went to Mongolia as missionaries.  We were on opposite sides of the world, but the same latitude on the globe!  It's truly an effort to stay close when we live so far from each other, but we have managed for 23 years!!  We still get to spend time together almost every year, if only for a few days!  We laugh, we cry, we talk about our kids...and I share my grandkids with her until she gets her own! 

      We're 2 peas in a pod....we even have matching nightgowns!  She calls me from Mongolia and we chat like she's next door!  So, have a happy, blessed, fun birthday, sis. 

      I love you!