my sister

My beautiful sister celebrated her 26th birthday yesterday. So in her honor, here are just 26 of the reasons I love her:

1. She's the smartest woman I know.

2. She writes the best, most encouraging cards, no matter the occasion.

3. She helped bring Esther into the world.

4. I can call her about anything, anytime, with any question and she'll answer.

5. She's one of the hardest workers I know.

6. She spent countless hours patiently tutoring me in math. She's the reason I passed every math class from 8th grade on.

7. She stood up with me at my wedding.

8. She's loyal.

9. She let's me kiss her baby as much as I want.

10. She'll let you borrow anything she owns for as long as you need it.

11. She showed me what it looked like not to settle when it comes to husband picking.

12. She never physically hurt me when I continued to steal her clothes without asking (and there were many times when she would have been justified in doing so!)

13. She's the best packer. Seriously, she can get anything to fit into anywhere!

14. She made running cross-country in high school fun and memorable. Having her as team captain was my favorite aspect of running.

15. When I registered for classes at Mizzou, she made sure I had a good schedule.

16. She's so secure in Christ that we can tease each other and crack each other up as we try to figure out how to do life, without taking it too seriously.

17. She's one of the most caring people I know.

18. She's an awesome mom.

19. When I had to go to the hospital in college, she drove me there and she was right by my side the entire time.

20. She's fun to shop with even when we're not shopping for something for her.

21. She has always supported me in my decisions.

22. She's amazing at juggling all she does. Anytime I get stressed out about my workload, I think of what she handles and it puts things back in perspective.

23. She's understanding. She's easy to talk to because she just gets me.

24. She's a problem solver. She doesn't flail about in a tough situation; she gets to the bottom of it.

25. She has a huge servant heart. She'll take care of everyone else before even thinking about herself.

26. She's one of my best friends in the whole world. She loves me when I'm unlovely and is patient when I am not. She's slow to anger when I am just downright cranky. I miss her so much and I'm excited every time I get to see her. She's beautiful and talented. I love her more than I tell her. I hope to be more and more like the Jesus I see in her.

Happy Birthday Manda!