I have been thinking about this post for a while, it's not dating related, so if that is all you read this for, deal with it.
I am the youngest of 5 children. I have three older brothers and an older sister, in that order. I love having three big brothers and I LOVE having a sister that is close to me in age.
When Jennie and I were little everyone thought we were twins, that may have something to do with the fact that my mom always dressed us alike and that Jennie has always been tiny and I have always been, well, bigger than her. We were always in little singing groups and dance groups as little girls. Jennie was always more coordinated than I was, especially at gymnastics. We started at the same time but by the time I quit because I sucked and hated it, I was in level two and I think she was in level 6. Jennie was always naturally better at everything, and I always wanted to be just like her.
Jennie and I have a strange relationship, we are very close and have this way of turning weird when we are together, we laugh about the dumbest things, but we laugh hard. I remember her telling me that when she and her husband Brock were dating he told her at one point, "You're different when you're with Julia, you get weird." I have to admit, that made me proud, and though since she has been married we don't have that opportunity as much I have noticed when we do get together that weirdness comes out. We find ourselves laughing at funny pronunciations of words and lisps and from time to time other people. I remember one day sitting in the kitchen in our parents house, my mom was on the phone planning out the program for her ward calling, my mom calls it a "progrum" and when she was on that phone call every time she would say it Jennie and I would look at each other and say, "progrum" and then laugh, I'm not kidding it probably happened like ten times then all of the sudden my mom said, "AM I saying it WRONG?" and we just bust up laughing so hard. Same thing when my dad would say things like "Sundee, or Fridee" Jennie just turns to me and said,"I don't think he knows there are A's in those words."
Though, I will admit, it was hard at times growing up with a sister as beautiful as her, I was always so proud to call her my sister. Proud to be "Little Sanders". It was easily done when I had a sister who loved me so much. All she ever cared about was that I was happy. If I was happy she was happy. She was protective of me all growing up and even though she was tiny she always had my back.
She has always been so supportive of me, she is the reason I started taking singing lessons in the first place and since I have been pursuing a career in that field she has always been my biggest fan, comes to every game I sing the anthem for, comes to as many shows she can, and I always appreciate it so much.
She was always willing to listen to my dating drama, and drama it was and is. Though it seems I went through the same situation time after time she would always give me advice and talk me through the situation and help me see that it was always the dang dudes that made things hard, I was just the victim ;). She helps me maintain some sort of control when I start to freak out when I date a guy, as I always do. She supports me in being annoyed with them and gets annoyed with me, and then will be so happy for me if things are going well. Even if I go back and forth with a guy, she will do the same thing, just always supports me, when I know her main concern is that I end up with a guy who makes me happy and sees what she has always seen in me.
I think the thing that sticks out the most is how beautiful she always made me feel. She always saw something in me that no one else did. When I started to lose weight I don't even think she noticed that I was getting thinner she just noticed that I was getting happier and that is what made her happy.
I have always held her on a pedestal and if anyone ever says anything about us acting alike or looking alike secretly (maybe not so secretly) it makes me so happy because that is what I have been working toward my whole life, to be more like Jennie. I loved that just like when we were little sometimes people think we are twins, I can think of no greater compliment. I love when people say, "Oh I can totally tell you are sisters" or "that must be your sister you look just like each other" again I take that as a huge compliment.
So to Jennie, here's to, "Garbeej, Foleej, Sauseej..." Here's to "Doorknobs!" Here's to, "Theeya Thuckerth" here's to pedicures, and Sweet Tomatoes, here's to Hawaii when Nix was 7 weeks old, here's to you making me pass out TWICE and laughing as I was convulsing, here's to you backing into my car and pulling your bumper off, here's to sharing a bed even when we didn't share a room, here's to Malaysia and all the good times we are bound to have there, and here's to the years of stories we have in front of us. I love you!
