happy birthday, leanna!

Twenty-two years ago today, my life changed forever.

Because a tiny human with exceptionally long fingers and toes brought me a brand new stuffed Bert doll (of Bert & Ernie fame).  (Just kidding, I'm pretty sure that was an impossibly shrewd move on my parents' part to get me to let her into my wolfpack.  It worked.)

Leanna, if you're wondering where your sweet gift is, I currently have half of it made and half of it still rolling around in my brain.  However, Mom always let us have birthday weeks, and yours will just include presents throughout.  But, in an effort to give you a little something today, here are the top ten things I like about you (in no particular order, except probably the last one, which I'm sure will be sappy).

10.  You are a beast on the guitar in Rock Band.  The George Harrison to my Ringo, if you will.  Those exceptionally long fingers you have came in handy when the guitar shunned me for being unable to stretch across all four buttons.

9.  You always have something on the DVR for me to watch when I come home.  It's probably an episode of the Real Housewives of New Jersey that I haven't seen, and I will remember how much I love it.

8.  You let me do your hair in the twisty crown things for band concerts in high school.  Mom made you/me do it every time, and you never complained.

7.  Even though you had your own room when we lived in Tallahassee, you always slept on the trundle that pulled out from my daybed.  We really didn't love being separated.

6.  When I used to get sick in the middle of the night, you would take your large, matted head of hair into Mom and Dad's room and knock on Mom's head until she woke up so you could tell her to come take care of me.  Your silhouette scared the bejeezus out of her in the process, but I never puked alone.

5.  You are the default animal bed sharer.  Reba and Dottie know I'm the backup plan.

4.  We never really share clothes.  Sometimes you borrow my cardigans, but I loved that I never had to go looking for my clothes in your closet.  You thought I was a psycho dresser and I thought you might graduate from high school in soccer shorts.  Neither were true, but my lost clothes were always my fault.

3.  You taught me how to watch TV shows on the internet and how to convert songs from YouTube videos to mp3s.  I won't go into detail because the internet police are undoubtedly addicted to my blog.

2.  You have old lady hobbies and 12-year-old obsessions.  You are the only person I know who loves to cross stitch while watching Twilight.  Both will serve you well as you become a middle school teacher and have to daily relate to both the principal and the young girl who brings her cardboard cutout of Justin Bieber to the 8th grade dance.

1.  You are my best, best, best, best BEST friend in the whole wide world ever and ever and ever.  I used to ask Mom and Dad for another sibling so you would be shoved into middle child-dom, but I really could never imagine having a sibling with as much patience and understanding for my neuroses as you have.  We've never thought we were exactly twins, but here on your twenty-second birthday, I'll readily admit we favor each other.  And I love it when people tell me our mannerisms are identical.  They are, and I wouldn't trade them, because that means we get to laugh at, judge, and react to things with the same facial expressions.  And I can't wait to see what you'll accomplish this year!  You're off on a new adventure in teaching, and I promise to always answer the phone to hear your latest story.

I love you so very, very much, and I hope your day is amazing!

(Also, congrats to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin for walking on the Moon forty-two years ago today.  Those of you rolling your eyes at the screen right now are cordially forced to watch Apollo 13 with me one Sunday afternoon.)