10 Reasons Having a Sister is the Best

I saw a similar post on another blog a few months ago, and actually felt sad: Maddie won't get to experience having a sister. However, in conjunction with that, I have no idea what it's like to have a brother, so maybe I'm the one missing out. I always figured we'd beat a brother up if we had had one, so I think it was best.

Most people don't realize that Rachel & I are sisters. She is...Barbie. I am...Elvira. She has long, blonde, beachy hair; I have jet black hair. She is tan during all 4 seasons; I am white or sunburned. She is Pollyanna; I am not. She is athletic & in shape; I am...very pregnant. My mom also gave her the easy name...I guess we know who the favorite is...

Rachel came to visit over the weekend for the shower-turned-hospital-sentence, and kept me company by bringing me Voodoo Donuts & Chai teas. Growing up, I never thought that, as adults, we'd totally dig hanging out with each other. Therefore, it led me to thinking about having a sister. And this is why I think having a sister is the best:

1. Built-in playmate. You get jipped when your parents bring home this squishy blob after being told you're getting a sibling. No, you're getting a loud blob. So, naturally, you find alternatives to play with while the blob wails. Not too long after that, the blob begins to become a little human, & suddenly, you have someone to entertain & who can entertain you. We may not have always wanted to play together, but we always had someone to play with if we wanted one. Rachel & I spent every summer outside, nearly all day long. We got along fairly well as kids, but then we hit puberty.
2. Closet swapping. Rachel & I were about the same size most of our teenage years, so we were able to share steal clothes from each other. The problem with this is that we went to a small, private school, so it was impossible to hide the fact that I had borrowed stolen one of her sweaters. This usually led to pinching & hair pulling.
3. Personal bodyguard. I know Rachel has stood up for me in certain instances, but this one was actually from me. I was a senior in high school when I was told by one of Rachel's friends that some kid had called her a whale. Enter fuming, hormonal, teenage sister. That little punk didn't see it coming. He was backed into the lockers with me in his face, politely asking him to refrain from being an ass to my sister ever again. Interestingly enough, no one ever called her a whale again.
4. Parents. Sisters are the only other people on the planet who truly know how deeply insane wonderful your parents are.
5. Friend for life...once you exit adolescence. Hate is a strong word, but there was some intense animosity during the teenage years between the two of us. Once we had safely made it out with only a few bruises and scratches, we slowly became human beings & started to like each other. I didn't think it could happen, but I genuinely like my sister these days.
6. BS Radar. You may not know this, but girls can be irrational & hormonal at times. It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while, your crazy starts to show. As a teenager, I didn't talk to my sister much unless I was starting or ending a fight. Now, I talk to her nearly everyday. We call to debrief & externally process. More often than not, whatever it is that is bothering me, simply needs to be said out loud & she can quickly tell me that I'm being a crazy person.
7. Phone buddy. We don't usually have wildly amazing, new stories to share, but we still connect nearly everyday. I always have someone to talk to with Rachel even if it's about Pretty Little Liars or telling her about the weird skin thing I have on my arm.
8. Auntie status. She adores my kid. This kid can literally talk to Rachel for hours on end without taking a breath, and Rachel loves it.
9. Family. Only we know the true ins & outs of all the crazies people in our family, and only we know who the most normal is. And we aren't telling.
10. Hilarity. Maybe some sisters aren't the same, but my sister is hilarious. We laugh so hard a lot of the time. She made me laugh so hard the other night that my nurse thought I was in labor when she looked at my monitor. Granted, we do come from an obscenely, inappropriate, hilarious family, but some of our hilarity was gained by hard work on our part.

Rachel, thanks for keeping me company last weekend. I'm so glad you decided to come despite me being locked in my bachelorette pad. Love you to the moon.