I Guess She's Okay

Fourteen years ago today I was given a late birthday "present."  My dreams of having a little sister were fulfilled.

I've told her since then she's the best and worst birthday present I ever got.

For about a year she went through a stage of being the best, but then she went through a really long phase of being the worst because for a long time she went through a phase of being a mean, quick tempered, angry little child who drove me absolutely crazy.  She got on my nerves and got into my stuff.  I couldn't stand her and no longer understood why people thought little sisters were so great.  Recently, I ran into my 5th grade teacher at the Rec Center and when talking to her she asked me if I remembered how I couldn't stand Elizabeth Taylor back when I was in her class.  I laughed because all of a sudden that annoying, pain in the neck started growing up.  Her main goal in life no longer seemed to be to push all my buttons and it turned out my obnoxious little sister was actually kind of cool to hang around.

Looking back at pictures today it turns out she's been my partner in crime longer than I am willing to admit.

In the last year or so she's really started becoming my friend rather than my frenemy, a person who makes me laugh, who will swing dance in the kitchen with me, and who wants to talk drama about school and swimming and anything else in life.  

Thank you for knowing just how to make me laugh, for sending me those random obnoxious texts and for dealing with the current chaos that is me moving back into our room.  I wish for the next year to be your best one yet as you enter the next saga of your life, but never forget to be my crazy little sister who probably should have been blonde and who is confused as a chameleon in a bag of skittles. 

Happy Birthday kid!