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A Blog about my Rachel

My sister turns, well, another year older tomorrow.  
I've just come back from enjoying a dinner with her as we had to celebrate together a day early due to schedules.  As I began the journey home, I reflected on this wonderful woman I've been able to share life with.

As many of you know, I was adopted because my parents were told they couldn't have children after trying for a while.  I was born, they adopted me and bam, 14 months later, my miracle baby sister was born!  How thankful we are for this!

We grew up close, partially due to how close in age we were. I mean, I AM 14 months wiser than her... that IS something, but we went through life's growing pains together because of this lack of age gap.

I wanted to share some things about this gal in honor of her birthday!

First of all, here are some pictures of her.
This was at my Grandpa's 80th birthday party... a nice picture of the 3 of us together.



This was while visiting some dear friends we rarely get to see.

Do you sense a theme here?  These are just two of many more I could share. This girl who grew up seemingly "shy", loves to make this spasm of a facial expression in photos. Yes, truly one of a kind, this one.

This photo is one of my favorites.  She is wearing one of the kids hats.  The reason I love this picture so much is that it shows that Rachel doesn't take herself too seriously. 
She isn't afraid to be a little silly and live in the moment.
I also love this picture because it reminds me that she is a great supporter. This picture was taken behind my booth at a bazaar where I was selling homemade goods. She brought me a coffee, sat with me for over an hour and goofed off with the kids. This is typical of her. She is continually supporting my endeavors and those of people she cares about.
I love this photo so much because it is the last photo of her and Dad together, smiling and happy before he died. She got his eyes, his skin, his love of ice cream and his gentle spirit. Oh how we still miss him and how much he loved her!  She was his unexpected gift and he treasured her.

This photo was taken on a rare occasion is was just "us girls" for Mom's birthday one year. Rachel got Mom's smile, nose, love of reading, and work ethic.  She has been an incredible support and help to Mom the last few years since Dad's passing. The selfless way she sometimes serves others inspires me to want to serve others better as well.

These photos are a few of the many I could share that tell the tale of the great Auntie she is to my kiddos. She's not your typical Aunt and the kids love her for it!  She loves them and they love her so much. They are her biggest fans!
I love this picture and have added it because to me, it represents multiple things I love about Rachel. 
For starters, the way she has loved Brent from the beginning, placing him in the role of a brother right from the beginning has been a treasure. Second, my sister, who so rarely shows emotion, shed some tears when I walked down the aisle towards this man. She was so happy for us and has continued to celebrate, support and encourage our marriage since then.
Normally, my amazing sister is a tomboy, doesn't care about "froo froo stuff" and is far more comfortable in a pair of jeans than anything else. But this day she "humored" me and wore the dress, did the hair and was stunning. Not one to draw attention to herself, her beauty can still be seen no matter what she wears or how she does her hair.

Rachel, in honor of your birthday, I wanted to share a few photos of you, things about you that mean a lot to me, and to thank you with this little poem.
Happy Birthday Sister!  I am so thankful we've been in each other's lives!

For my Sis

You were my constant companion as we grew,
I knew I could always count on you.

Building forts, hide and seek,
riding bikes and raising sheep.

I'd make deals with you like this sometimes:
I'd build roads outside, if you'd play dolls with me inside.

Our own secret language we did have,
and it sometimes led to lots of laughs.

Remember when we raised those goats?
We'd take turns feeding the oats.

We raised chickens, bunnies, and some cats,
and gerbils, (still can't believe that)!

Friday nights were game night as teens,
Our dear friend Laura would often bring.
Hochstatter special pizza with,
fresh tomatoes and quick wit.

We've had laughter, we've had tears,
we've had sorrow, we've had cheer.

I am so grateful for you my sis,
our life hasn't always been of bliss.
But you've been there to share the load,
as we journey down this road.

You mean more to me than can be told,
I'll love you 'till we're passed old.

You're one of my best friends,
this is where the poem ends.

Happy Birthday!!!!











Comments

  1. ShannaMadeApril 10, 2017 at 1:54 PM

    Love this reminds me of fun times with this amazing gal growing up as well. Happy birthday Rachel, love and miss you both!

    ReplyDelete

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