Happy 30th Birthday Lori!

My little sister, Lori turns 30 today. She has been dreading this birthday for awhile now. She even went so far as to say that she would be spending the day crying.

Well, she didn't cry (good girl!) and ended up having a nice day.

30 years ago today, I remember my mom and dad left our house to go to the hospital to have our new baby. As much as I loved my brother, I was thrilled when I found out I had a new baby sister! Lori came home from the hospital with a big shock of black hair - sort of like her daughter Kelsey would do almost 30 years later! The black hair didn't last long, and Lori ended up being my little blond-haired sister. She would follow me everywhere when we were growing up. We would play dolls together. And despite the fact that she had her own room, she slept in my bed with me almost every night.

As I got older, our interests became different because of the 6.5 year difference. She was still playing with dolls and I was interested in boys. But despite the differences, I still adored her. After I went off to college, I remember getting letters from her my freshmen year - ones that I still have. It was so nice having a little sister who missed me.

Oh, and then there was the clothes borrowing when I would come home. I could never find any of my clothes. Oh, I take that back, they were always on the floor in Lori's room!

Lori and I grew apart for awhile. The death of our brother Brian really took an emotional toll on all of us. However, as my dad always said, family will always be there for you when the rest of the world walks away. Lori and I were able to forge a new, adult relationship.

Now Lori is a mom like me. I have never felt closer to her, and am so happy that we live close to each other again and can share the joy of raising our children together. She is not only my sister, but one of my closest friends. Happy Birthday Waddy Bet. I love you so very much!