Sisters

I never had a sister. I have two older brothers, and I couldn't possibly love them more, but it's just not the same. Brothers don't especially like to gossip about people at school with you, you can never offer them any of your clothes to borrow, and their shoes, though cool, don't fit you. And they tend to get upset if they find you borrowing their jeans or money (sorry about that, guys). But one of the cool things about brothers is that through them you get sisters. I got my first sister when I was 17, and my second when I was 18. I didn't get any more sisters until I was 26, when Nathan and I got married.

I now have four great sisters, all unrelated to me by blood, but all so wonderful. There's Arla, who is so bubbly and fun, and so good at commiserating when I just need to complain. Jenna started out as one of my best friends in college and went through all that craziness with me and then became a sister. Ashlee I feel like I've known my entire life, even though it's really been about nine years, and she's my advice guru. And Heather, the newest sister and, at this point, an honorary one, who is so easy-going and easy to be with, and has a sly sense of humor. I love these women so much, and I know that I could go to any of them with any problem I had and they'd listen and advise wisely. They are all such good examples to me in such different ways and I love having them all nearby. Even Ashlee still feels somewhat close, since we talk more now than we did before they moved.

Last weekend Brian and Ashlee were in town and Nathan and I got to meet the twins for the first time. We met up with them and with Jeff and Heather at Ruby's on the pier in Balboa. After we all ate the boys took off with Eszter and Judah and the three of us girls sat together on the lawn with the twins. While Ashlee fed them we all sat in the sun and talked about whatever came to mind, serious things and funny things, and it was such a truly female conversation, where we jumped from subject to subject and then back again, and no one ever got lost. It's funny, because without the Cowell boys I don't think the three of us would have ever been friends. But now I can't imagine my life without them. We work so well together. I'm not sure we'd be this close, even if we were actually sisters. And I'm so glad to have these sisters. All of them.