When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? ~Pam Brown

I think I can officially blog about Caroline, sister and best friend extraordinaire leaving for college without becoming an emotional mess. No promises, I just think I'll be okay. We had to eat at Costa Vida before she left; one of our favorite haunts to eat and dish on what is going on with our lives. We are trying not to laugh in this picture having just frustrated the nice lady who agreed to take our picture. I kept telling her the wrong button to push and by the third, "whoops, i mean this one" you could tell she was done going the extra mile.
Over our favorite quesadillas we talked about how much fun she was going to have at school. We recalled that it had been 8 years since our little family arrived running on fumes to this strange land of Texas. By blessing and good fortune, my family had also moved here the year before. In a time of change and the unknown, leaving the comforts of family and familiarity of Utah, we had an anchor. Caroline was 10 when we moved here and I was pretty much the "older sister who left home when she was 6 and visited once a year." You never fully appreciate how much the Lord looks out for you and blesses you with things so great; you could never have even known to wish it for yourself. In moving to Texas, I was given my sisters. Stephanie marrying a Texan is here often, and Caroline has never been more than 10 minutes down the road. When the 3 of us are all together it can range from the sentimental, to giddy, to the downright obnoxious for those around us. I'm appreciative that there is an unspoken agreement between sisters. It goes something like: Even if you take my clothes and get into my makeup without asking, still,nobody better mess with you, or they will have to mess with me. Even if I think i know best and tell you as much, it's only because I love you and you'll forgive me for being a know-it-all. There will always be ice cream involved in any late night talks, and it's understood that any lame things we say after 1am are completely hilarious. I will never judge you but I will be the only person to tell you if those jeans really do make your butt look big. Even if there are times I'd like to throttle you, I will also defend you to the nines and love you no matter what. My sisters are a huge comfort to me and I miss them something awful when they're away, but look forward to the times we get together knowing that we have so much time to catch up on and that it will feel like it has been no time at all.

"Sisters don't need words. They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling." ~Pam Brown