Raise your hand if you watched Barney as a kid. Come on, nobody can see, just raise your hand. That’s what I thought. A lot of you. We were fairly addicted in our household as well, and one of the episodes we watched over and over again has two of the characters (who just happened to be sisters) singing a sappy love song to each other to celebrate all that is wonderful about sisterhood. I distinctly remember singing this syrupy sweet ballad to my sister and then pulling her hair out 5 minutes later because she wore my sweatshirt to school. That’s the way all sisters are, right? Due to the fabulousness of the Internet, here is the actual song for you to enjoy:
Kelsey and I were born 18 months apart, so we constantly fought like cats and dogs, pretty much up until the time I went to college. We fought over clothes, friends, the shower, sports, boys, pretty much anything you can fight about, we went a round or two over it. I distinctly remember one fight where Kelsey and I were arguing about how to make brownies. It culminated with my slapping her with a batter-covered spatula until she let me cook the brownies the way. I. wanted.
In another instance, Kelsey and I were arguing over clothes or something and she abruptly picked up the phone. “Don’t come near me! I’ll call the cops!” “No you won’t,” I retorted. The words reached her just as she was finishing pressing the last one in 9-1-1. I slammed the phone down and continued chasing her throughout the house, furious that she would almost get the cops called on me! Little did we know, if you hang up on a 9-1-1 call the cops already have your address and they’re required to check in on you in case, you know, you actually have an emergency. When the cops pulled in to the driveway, I immediately burst in to tears, positive I was going to spend the night in jail. Kelsey told them I wasn’t actually trying to kill her, and the cop gave us both a very stern lecture about legitimate things he actually needed to do that night. Our parents, on the other hand, grounded us both for forever and a day when they found out what we’d done.
The crazy part, though, is that after I finally got away from my pesky sisters and had just ONE roommate in college, I actually missed them. It actually made me sad to be away for Kelsey’s senior year in high school, and I actually missed seeing her on the volleyball court next to me. Now years later, she’s engaged to be married and I’d even let her wear my wedding dress if she wanted. And she makes really good brownies, possibly better than mine. Which, if I told teenager Aquila that, would be a shocking revelation.
It’s her birthday today, and I just wanted her to know that I’m so proud of the young woman she’s become. We used to make fun of her back in the day because she would call everyone her best friend. But it’s really a compliment. Kelsey makes everyone feel loved, appreciated, and cared for. She makes you feel like a best friend. Her passion for life is contagious and she laughs more in a day than most people do in a month. Cora is lucky to have an Aunt that cares so much about her, even thought they don’t see each other often enough. And I’m blessed to have a girlfriend for life, someone to share secrets with that nobody else would understand.
So despite a rocky 18-year start, she’s my sister. And I love my sister. Barney is just so, so wise y’all. 😉
