I'm a believer

in the philosophy that's it's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission (ok...not in serious stuff), so I decided to share the birthday picture with you. But first, I would like to talk about why I even bothered to go to the lengths I did to get the picture in the first place.
My sister is five years older than me. I think we had a love/hate relationship for a lot of years, because I was a typical little sister and I bugged the daylights out of her. However, she had her moments, too.
Like when we were 4 and 9, in Maine. Apparently, she was upset with Mom and Dad and chose to play out her frustrations on me. I clearly remember pulling on her legs as she was "going up to heaven, because Mommy and Daddy don't like me anymore. Good-bye, Lizzie." It wasn't until many years later that she even knew that I remembered that and really thought she was going away. Right there between the pink canopy beds, she was leaving us. It was awful.
Or how about every. single. bridge. that we ever drove over and what she said as we drove over them? And there were thousands, because that's what we did-we drove home from wherever-we-were-living while Dad was in the Air Force. As the car would approach the bridge she would quietly (I'm sure so Mom wouldn't hear her) say, "I wonder how long it would take us to go under the water if the bridge broke?" Or maybe, "I wonder if that water is cold?" Or, "How long do you thnk we could hold our breath when the car fills up with water, Lizzie?" I am still nervous on bridges.
She would give Joe and I a potato chip and make us chew it 10 times before we could have another. She was mean! There are other stories, but I'm sure you get the idea already.
She was also very smart, and quite beautiful, and everyone knew it. I was compared many times to her and left wanting because I didn't meet those standards that others used to measure with. I thought she was perfect, and it wasn't until I was older that I began to see she had her own hurts, too.
Then, she went to beauty school, and I missed her. I spent a very fun week at her little "cabin" behind the school during my Christmas break one year, and she later sent me a bill for the room and board. We became friends and it was fun. She had the most adorable baby girl that anyone ever gave birth to, and I became the favorite aunt. Then she had the perfect baby boy, and I was pretty popular with him, too. We became closer friends, and it was even better. When I had kids, she became the favorite aunt, and continues to live up to that title. I was ecstatic when she moved back to Iowa and we were 1.5 hours apart. That was fun, and we really loved it. Now, I call her (too much) and talk about everything that matters and a lot that doesn't. She is my best friend, and I love her so much. That is why I would go to the trouble of making this package for her **th birthday. She is so worth it.

I love you, Le-Le. Please forgive me.