Happy Birthday T

Today is my big sister Torry’s birthday. It's the perfect time of the year for it because she loves the Fall and loves Halloween. T is the Christopher Robin to my Winnie the Pooh. I don't mean in an I’m-her-fat-stuffed-animal-friend-who-only-comes-to-life-in-her-imagination-because-she’s-actually-a-repressed-British-schoolboy sort of way. No, no, no. I mean that to me, T has always brought the world to life. I know that sounds melodramatic, and certainly I don't revere here in the way I did when I was younger, but a part of me still retains this idyllic sense about T- she is the person to be like, and a person who's opinion matters sooooo much to me. She is creative and motivated and good, and probably shaking her head at my praise right now. (So I guess she's humble too, snicker snicker ;P)

Here's T & I: The Beginning:

I miss this blanket. Mom, what happened to this blanket? Also, I am glad I only have memories of cute, all-animal stuffed toys, and not of this oddly creepy monkey-human baby thing T is clutching.

We were always dressing up. T was such a damsel poser, just like her daughter Eva is now. Look at my face in the green dress. Not happy. I'm like, 'Where is my eye patch? Where are my chaps? Why am I wearing a costume that suggests I need rescuing? Give me a flippin' whip and a fedora!'

Funny how fashion comes full circle. Like, if I could find it in my size, I would totally wear that jacket now. Maybe not in that color so much.

First trip (of many) to The Happiest Place on Earth. I was so happy I guess it tuckered me right out.

T, I love this picture because it is the only one where its you who kinda looks like a boy instead of me ALWAYS looking like Boo Radley or something while you look like an exotic princess. In this one you look like a little Indian boy. From India ;)

Aaah, we love each other. And I guess this proves that we were style trend-setters from the start.

Though anyone who knows us well could tell you I am the one in the family who tends to play the typical protective mother hen role, even to my elder sibling T, she has always been a great big sister. Neither of us were really girly girls, but I was a major tomboy and did a lot of playing with G. I. Joe’s and geeky comic book role-playing with my brothers while Torry was off doing her own thing in her eldest child way. Nevertheless, when I got to that scary, Middle School/High School age, and Torry was already the perfect, popular girl, she never ignored me and always invited me to things. We had rooms that were connected by a bathroom and I remember many a night of tiptoeing through to her room and chatting on her bed into the wee small hours. She would tell me about the boys in her life, boys whose names I still remember though she doesn’t, and every secret she told me, however unimportant or silly it was, I cherished.

I remember having friends with older siblings that were two years apart like T and I and they were relieved and excited when their siblings went off to college and they got to inherit their room or something. I was devastated and missed her something awful and visited her at College a lot her Freshman year. Her Sophomore year of college was my Senior year of high school when my whole family was in Zimbabwe. I did correspondence to finish up for graduation and T sorted out doing correspondence through BYU for a year so that she could come over with us. After the year T and I headed back to the States for college while the rest of my family stayed in Zim for another year, so the only place that made sense for me to apply was BYU, because that was where T would be. She has since married an amazing guy who it feels like has always been my older brother, (believe me, he would have known if I didn't approve of him- I was the scary one to meet when it came to T, not my dad ;), and has provided for me a sassy, beautiful niece and a jovial, mischievous nephew, though they have all selfishly moved away from me ;P

I suppose that its inevitable that T will be demoted to a slightly lower pedestal one day when I have a husband and family of my own, but its awfully hard to imagine. T is someone I would be in awe of and want to be friends with, related or not. T is someone who I can spend hours of doing nothing with and the time happily flies by like minutes. T is someone who I can have a meaningful conversation with in a single expression or glance. T is the person I have more inside jokes with than anyone (seriously T, why is that test tube wearing a mustache and glasses?) When T is sad then I am sad, and nothing makes me happier than her happiness. Not even Fred & Ginger movies, and that's saying something.

Now T, don't be getting a big head and thinking you are going to be getting a post like this every year. My goodness, how spoiled you are. Nobody loves you like I do. Happy birthday.

If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.