Dear Sis,

I don't even know how to begin to put in the words how grateful I am to have you as my sister. Thanks for letting me follow in your shoes. It might have been and still be annoying that I like to at least try everything that you do, but you should take it as the biggest compliment. I see all the amazing things that you do in life and I see how great you treat others. I just want to be like you. Thanks for letting me always tag along with you, your friends and now even with your fiance. I know it probably wasn't so cool dragging your little sister around when you were in high school, but those have been some of my favorite memories. Do you remember when we used to wait in the car every morning before school until 7:10 am to try and win country concert tickets? Thanks for driving me around everywhere before I got my license. From school to practice to friend's houses and anywhere else I might have needed carted off to, thanks for always sacrificing your time to make sure I got to where I needed to be. You always have a busy schedule, so I know it wasn't ideal to be taking me everywhere when mom and dad couldn't. We used to not get along very much, but people would say that we would grow up to be so close. I wasn't sure if they would be right, but I am so glad looking back that they were. You are my best friend and my best role model. You make me laugh about the stupidest things, you have helped me realize that life is better being different than anyone else and that I shouldn't worry about what other people think. You have taught me more than you will ever know simply because you're my sister and I've been able to watch you grow up and become the amazing adult and teacher that you are.

Sis, you are an incredible person. Thanks for being there for me no matter what the situation was. It might have been an argument with mom and dad, a disagreement with a friend, troubles with school work or things not going well with the sport I was playing, but I knew I could and still can go to you and you would always be there with advice or just to comfort me. Thanks for putting up with my overthinking and worrisome self.

I can always count on you to push me to be the best that I can be no matter if it's with school, sports, or anything else. Sometimes you literally pushed me across the line to make my sprints during conditioning. While I hated you at the moment, I am so glad you did it. As silly as that little instance may seem, that is just one of the ways that you have shown me the potential in myself that I do not always see.

Growing up with you has been so rewarding. I would not be even half the person I am today if I didn't have you as my older sister. Thanks for leading by example and showing me the ropes of life. I know I can always count on you to be there for me and I am so grateful for that. I am so glad you are my sister, but I love that you are my best friend even more. Now that we are getting older and moving out of the house, I am going to miss sharing the bathroom with you. I'm going to miss having you there to talk to while I'm showering and you're doing your hair and makeup. I'm going to miss having you there to talk through the wall with at night. Even though dad would shush us to be quiet, I'm going to miss those conversations.

I am so excited for you to marry the man of your dreams next summer, but it also makes me a little sad. I know that you guys are always inviting me places with you and letting me tag along, but it also means that we will no longer be living together and seeing each other every day. It's a reminder that we are getting older. It reminds me to cherish the moments that we've had so far and the ones to come. I am so glad you're my sister and that we are stuck with each other for the rest of our lives. Thanks for being you and for showing me how to love life and all that it brings with it. I know I can be a handful at times, so I really want to thank you for always putting up with me. I love you so much and I am so grateful for you.

Love,

Your Little Sis