Today my favorite Sis in all the land turns 30! I like calling her my favorite sister a lot. I try to milk it for all it's worth since she is my only sister. ;) Why are sisters so special? I don't know, but I thank God for inventing them. Here are 30 things I love about my darling Sis:

1. I love the way she listens--intentionally and closely.
2. I love her laugh.
3. I love her red hair.
4. I love when she surprises us all with a new haircut--she will show up and "ta da!" it's a whole new glam do!
5. I love the way she loves my son.
6. I love her heart for special need's kids.
7. I love her friendship with Andrew.
8. I love her style.
9. I love her encouragement.
10. I love her generosity.
11. I love our years and years and years of shared memories.
12. I love her spunk.
13. I love her determination.
14. I love her clever gift-giving. She gives the best gifts!
15. I love sharing jokes with her...like the time we attended a Scottish themed wedding and just could.not.stop giggling when the bagpipe started playing.
16. I love traveling with her.
17. I love the photos she takes. She is so artistic!
18. I love sharing coffee with her.
19. I love that she's a power walker. Let's move, girl!
20. I love her dance moves.
21. I love the way she says it like it is.
22. I love watching the RHOBH with her.
23. I love her kindness.
24. I love her sense of humor--she and Andrew make me laugh harder than anyone else!
25. I love her writing.
26. I love her confidence.
27. I love when she introduces me to things that I just do not understand, like gel manicures, Snapchat, and Paleo recipes.
28. I love solving all the world's problems with her over lunch.
29. I love being her sister.
30. And, most of all, her friend.

Happy, happy birthday dearest Courtney!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

It's my Mom's birthday today! Happy birthday, Mom!!!

Here's the thing it's easy for me to forget about my Mom: she fills a lot of other life roles than just 'mom'. She's a wife...a daughter...a sister...a sister-in-law...for a lot of years she was somebody's daughter-in-law...now she's someone's mother-in-law...she's an aunt...a cousin...a friend...a small group leader...a neighbor...a mentor...

That's a lot of roles for one woman!

For all the roles you've played in my life, and all the roles I see you play in other people's lives...I'm grateful, Mom! I love you!