Happy Birthday, Rachel!

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

My sweet sister is turns 20 today!! In some ways I can’t believe she’s already 20 and in other ways I can’t believe she’s only 20! Does that make any sense at all? Rachel’s always been my baby sister, the one that I grew up protecting from our brother and teaching about the world. But this year she finished her sophomore year of college, recorded her first EP (how amazing is that??), is dating her first boyfriend, and is raising money to go on a missions trip to Nicaragua with her church. I don’t think I can call her my baby sister anymore. =) I am so proud of the woman she’s become and today I want to celebrate he!! In honor of her 20th birthday, I want to share 20 memories or things I love about her.

• Her compassion – Rachel is one of the most sensitive and compassionate people I know. Her heart breaks for other people when they are hurting, which is not always easy, but it helps her love the people around her so deeply.
• Her loyalty – Because she loves so deeply, she is fiercely loyal. If you need her, she’s there for you, and I love that about her!
• Her sense of adventure – I’ve really seen this grow in her in the last couple years. We went hiking and bouldering in March, and I was amazed (and slightly scared) by the rocks she scaled and the jumps over the river she attempted. When we were kids, Evan and I often left her behind (sorry!), so I loved seeing that in her!

• Her heart for the Lord – She has grown so much in her faith in the last couple years, and every time we talk on the phone it is so obvious that she wants to live her life in a way that glorifies God. I am so proud of her!!
• Our phone calls – For the past two years Rachel and I have lived the furthest apart that we’ve ever lived (about 3 hours), BUT even though we don’t see each other as often as we used to, we talk on the phone SO much more than we did when we lived an hour apart. I LOVE our phone calls!!
• Her musical ability – Rachel has such an ear for music and composing. I mentioned this before, but she just recorded her first EP last month! That is not a small project, but she jumped in with both feet. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I am SO proud!!
• Her silliness – I myself am very very silly, so I love having people to be silly with! Silly faces, silly voices, silly dance moves. It’s the best.

• UNC visits – I loved having you come visit me in my dorm room while I was at UNC. I remember one time when you came that we explored the steam tunnels in front of Joyner with some of my friends. It was awesome!
• Legally Blond – I loved coming to CHHS to see you perform in the spring musical your senior year!
• Voice recitals – I remember video recording some of your voice recitals in high school and celebrating with you afterwards! I’ve said this already, but I am in awe of your musical ability.
• Taking selfies at Bryce Canyon – We went out West in the summer of 2008 (I was 17, Rachel was 12), and there were a lot of great memories from that trip with the whole family, but the thing I remember doing with Rachel was taking selfies in front of Bryce Canyon before selfies were even cool. There was another day when she tried to hug a giant Sequoia and it made her look tiny.

• Her toast at my wedding – Rachel spoke in front of hundreds of people at my wedding reception even though she doesn’t normally love public speaking. I don’t remember a lot about what she said, only that she didn’t like Stephen at first because she didn’t like anyone who could potentially take me away. After she got to know him, she loved him! Whatever else she said made me cry, and I’m so thankful she was my maid of honor!
• Playing in the backyard – We used to play in the sandbox and on the swingset ALL the time. I remember three-year-old Rachel playing in the sand with a cast on (and pouring the sand out when the cast came off) and pushing her as high as I could in her baby swing.
• Visiting Mackinac Island – We’ve gone there a few times as a family over the years, and there’s a spot on the north shore where there’s a little cave of sorts. Rachel and I took a picture in that cave probably 10 years ago and have repeated it since.
• Riding Pepper – We took riding lessons together when we were little, and riding my mom’s horse now always reminds me of that. I particularly enjoyed it at the cabin when we went and found a grassy area to use as an arena.
• Kayaking Lake Superior – A few years ago Rachel, Evan, and I took a triple kayak out on Lake Superior. Toward the end of our guided tour the waves got pretty big (at least 3 feet) and it was an adventure working together to get to shore!
• The Marion Park – My family has been going to our cabin in Michigan in the summer for as long as I can remember. We can’t always get everyone together every year anymore, but one of my favorite memories of those trips is going to the little park in the closest town with Rachel. It was often something we did just the two of us.

• Her style – Rachel likes to shop for clothes as much as the next girl, and she’s way better at it that I am! She has a fun, casual style that I love!
• Muffin – Rachel’s relationship with Muffin is a perfect picture of her compassion and patience. Muffin was my grandparents’ dog, and we took her in when they moved to an assisted living apartment. Muffin didn’t like any of us and would bite anyone who got too close, but Rachel never gave up and eventually won her over. I love this picture of them! And of her with our other dog at the time just because. =)

• Hiking Hebron – In March I got to drive up to Boone to spend the weekend with Rachel, just us. We got to go rock climbing with her friends at the gym and hiking at Hebron rock colony, one of our favorite places in the mountains. Then I made her put a dress on and hike up the Beacon Heights trail so I could take some pictures of her. It was a blast and now I have photos of her to share with her birthday post!

I love you Rachel! Looking forward to many more memories with you. =)