You're my best friend and I wouldn't trade our relationship for the world.

You know how they say you have your 'person' in life? You're my other half and I couldn't imagine life without you.

Thank you for moving into the house behind mine. When I was a lot younger and in grade school, I remember me and you playing games in school together. You used your "eat-lunch-with-a-friend" pass for me. We played in the creek behind my house. We colored with chalk everywhere possible, including the side of the fence that my parents couldn't see. We tried to build a bridge over the little creek because we had our own little world. We could play outside for hours without thinking about the fact that the sun had gone down and we could barely see the ground in front of us.

Then one day you stopped coming to the house. I didn't see you at school. I knocked on your front door and nobody ever answered. It was hard, I didn't know where you went.

One day, a few years later, I was playing outside, and I saw this girl riding up the hill on her bike. She started waving her arms frantically and I thought this girl was crazy. Why was this girl waving at me? Then I saw it. My best friend. You had come back. We played kickball in the driveway that day. I was so glad when you moved back. I didn't think that kind of friendship was possible at that age. I saw you for the most part of everyday. You were already a part of the family, whether you knew it or not. You knew where the spare key was hidden. The dogs didn't bark at you. You know the kitchen like the back of your hand.

I blinked and the next thing I know, I'm getting teary eye'd in a court room as papers are being signed for you to legally be my sister.

It wasn't until that moment that I realized our family wasn't complete until we had you. I look at family pictures from before you were in them and you can see something is missing. It's not something that would stick out to someone that doesn't know our family but anyone that knows our family, knows that you are a big part of it.

You're so loved by this family. A family of 7 became a family of 8.

You are my age, so at the time, I was kind of mad that I would have to share graduation, prom, etc with someone else. But then it hit me. I get to share graduation, prom, etc with someone else. My perspective was wrong at the time. But who else gets to say they had someone to fill out college applications with? Someone to go prom dress shopping with you? Someone to sit next to at graduation while all the names were called? I never had to do anything alone and I'm thankful I got to share all of it with you.

People look at our family and they would never know which one of us is adopted. Sometimes they say it's me, sometimes they say it's our brother, sometimes they say it's one of our sisters. It's fun to hear people guess as to which one of us was adopted. It's fun to hear people think I'm lying when I say you were adopted. You look like our family. I actually think you look like our grandmother more than any of us.

You made the number even. Never even knew we were odd until you came along. Whenever we all go to an amusement park, we all have someone to ride roller coasters with. We all have someone to pair up with if necessary.

Its fun become I've heard people say it would be a dream come true to have their best friend become their sister. Honestly, I can vouch for that. It's a sleepover that never has to end. I couldn't be more thankful for you and your sisterhood.