Who is my best friend? Obviously my big sister. Why? Well, here are 8 reasons.

1. She knows everything about me

I mean, she’s been there since my birth, so she has kind of been forced to know everything about me. But besides that, she’s always a listening ear whenever I need to spill my guts to someone.

2. She is always present at those awkward family gatherings

Having a cool sibling or cousin always saves you from those family dinners when your aunts and uncles ask what your relationship status is, unless they’re the kind of sibling or cousin to join in and make fun of you — which mine is. She still is the person I make strange faces at when someone is prying too much.

3. She is honest with me and tells me when something is not a good idea

I thought that bangs would be a good idea and she warned me before I made that decision (looking back, that would not have looked good at all). I thought a pair of khakis I had were cute, but I was reminded that they were the exact color of my skin and looked like I was going pants-less. My sister has stopped me from going out in public looking crazy many times.

4. She is never a phone call away

Well, actually, she was really never more than 15 feet away from me growing up. Having a friend right down the hall from your bedroom was the most ideal thing for me. When she moved out to go to college, I was still in high school. We text almost every day and talk on the phone whenever we get a chance.

5. Any fight we have is easily repaired

Only because our parents told us to get over ourselves. Had our mom and dad not yelled at us, my sister would probably still be mad at me for hiding her Britney Spears doll. (I’m still not sure how we got over our fight about wearing the same sweatshirt to school, even though we went to different schools at the time.)

6. She is a good role model

My sister is the perfect example to not give up. She applied for graduate school two years ago and didn’t get in. She instead spent the next year building her resume and finding other ways to stand out to the committee overseeing her application. She got in this time around and is already killing it in her classes. I can only hope that I have as much perseverance and strength as my sister.

7. She is my partner in crime

When we were younger, my parents would trust her to watch me during the day while they were at work. The two of us played weird variations of ‘house,' instead of adding the word sisters to the end of the game, as to not confuse anyone what we actually were. We played Spy Sisters, Crocodile Sisters, Scooter Sisters, etc. It always went well, except for the one time that I cut my knee open riding my scooter around and spent some time bleeding in the bathtub to not make a mess all over the house. It turns out I could have used stitches, but a bandage was the best we could do at the time.

8. She is my biggest fan

My sister has shared every single article I’ve posted, and I’m sure this one will be no different from the others. She went to every single one of my dance recitals when I was younger, sat through cheer competitions in junior high school, and cheered loudly when I won a scholarship at graduation. I have and will always do the same thing for her, too.

Sisters can be a real pain in the butt sometimes, but I was blessed with a sister who is the best friend a girl could ask for.