little a

Yay! I'm so excited. My big sister has joined the blogging world. Ever since I started mine a whole month ago, I have been after her to start one of her own. I know my sister...she doesn't like to follow the crowd. She has never been one to do something just because everyone else does it, so when I challenged her to start her own blog in my tag yesterday I wasn't holding my breath. I even told Nicole last night on MSN that I was pretty sure Adrienne wouldn't start a blog. So, imagine my surprise when I went online right before bed and saw that she had started one!

I am excited for many reasons:
1. Adrienne is a fantastic writer. She always has been. I know that she's a better writer than me and I love reading things that she has written...I knew she would be great as a blogger.
2. She has creativity in her...I remember how she used to write in her journal every single night, and I knew that this would be a great creative outlet for her.
3. I often feel so very far away from her, and this is one more great way for us to connect! I can't wait to hear her thoughts on a certain topic, hear about silly things the kids are doing, or see her great sarcastic wit on the screen.
4. I have already, in two simple blogs, learned things about her that I did not know before. She LOVES vanilla steamers from Starbucks! So do I! I NEVER knew that we had that in common! I also learned that she really enjoys watching the audition phase of American Idol, which, as you know from a previous blog, I also love. Wow! It's like we're getting to know each other all over again.
5. In a way, she did this for me. I was the one pushing her to do it, because I knew it could bring us closer. Knowing that she did it, and in a lot of ways for me, shows me how much she loves me...that means a lot to me.

This summer I went to visit her and her family for the first time in over two years. We had seen each other in between that time, but always for a wedding-first mine, then our little sister's. That's not exactly the best way to communicate! When I went this summer, I was going for a week and I have to admit, I was a little nervous! In some ways it almost felt as though we didn't know each other anymore. Then, on the way to her house from the airport, she brought up that very topic! We had the best talk, we had tears, and we reconnected. It's tough to live away from my family. I find myself going through so many things that they have no idea about, and in a sense it changes me. I know I am definitely not the same person that I was when I left home for college 7 years ago-wow...7 years! I have changed immensely in that time. My sister had left for college when I was in high school, and during my senior year of high school she moved away to South Carolina to be closer to her future husband. I remember crying, and crying, and crying. I didn't know what I would do without her! Then, we sort of adjusted, but the sad thing is, the more time that went by, the more we seemed to grow apart.

Since visiting her this summer, I feel that connection again. I feel like we spent that week getting to know each other again, and it was great. So...for all of those reasons-and others-I am so excited that she is going to blog! Adrienne, thanks for stepping out and doing this...you know it means the world to me. Happy blogging, little a.