Sisters

This is Erica. Erica is my official un-official Oregon Sister. Erica is everything I wish I'd been at 19. She is smart and beautiful, confident and kind, strong and wise for her young years. She has been such a blessing to me these past 7 months. She is an encouragement and a dear, dear friend with a heart of gold. We have a blast doing anything together. Long talks over coffee, giggling at action films, taking ridiculous pictures, she is truly one of the best people I know. Friday we got together and I taught her a few tricks for Pin-Up hair and we had a photoshoot where much laughter was had. It was a marvelous day.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the importance of sisters. My mom has always told me she thinks I will only ever have boys if I have children. She's probably right, but I've always said I'd like at least one girl. But girls need sisters. As much as you want to kill them sometimes, they are such an important thing for a girl to have. A sister is someone you can tell secrets to, or stay up late watching bad movies with, or call after class one day and just cry to for an hour and a half. Each of my real sisters and I have a special bond, something that we don't share with the others, and in turn they each have a special bond that I do not share. My mom found out she was pregnant with Grace the fall of my Senior year of High School. That happened to be the year I didn't get into a top notch music school across the country. I remember thinking (and even used this in my graduation speech) that in the end that was perfect because I got to meet Gracie and I got to spend 6 years living with her. I'm not the foreign big sister she never knew and I am so very thankful for that. I love her nearly daily Skype call where she plays a game while I read blogs and we just hang out online together. Which is bizarre, but I love it.

If I wasn't lucky enough to have four blood sisters who are wonderful and amazing in their own special way, I also happen to have quite a few adopted sisters. Sarah, Charissa, and Jessica have been around longer than some of my siblings, and they are my sisters. We have our differences and tiffs, but what sister doesn't? In the last days I was in California before moving to Oregon, I suddenly had a panic: what the hell would I do without sisters? I relied on these people who surrounded me. I love being there for them as much as I love them for being there for me. I was freaked out.

So here we are 7 months into this adventure and I find myself yet again surrounded by a few wonderful women who have truly become my sisters. Erica is just one of them. These are people I feel like I've known my whole life, people who I can go to for counsel, and who I welcome with open arms if they ever are in need of a hug and an encouraging word. The bonds we can have with people are pretty much the closest thing to magic that exist in the world. Aren't we so lucky?

In a few short hours Bri arrives (she just texted me from her plane!) and I have been dancing around for the last three days in excitement! Sure I am still sick, but the thought of all the shenanigans that await us has helped to heal my congested respiratory system. I cannot wait to share my new life with Bri, and introduce her to the wonderful set of people I know up here. Sisters are wonderful people.