I will never forget the day that my sister Michelle caught me outside of the high school cafeteria wearing her shoes and demanded that I take them off and give them back to her. I smile when I think about how I used to fall asleep while she was talking to me at night and wake up an hour later to the sound of her still talking. I’ll never forget how beautifully she sang at my wedding or that she accidentally changed a few words to the song and made everyone laugh. I’ll always remember how she’d beat on her chest and turn into wild woman when she was mad at me. I can close my eyes and picture the two of us giggling and jumping on our beds in Wonder Woman underoos and roller skating up and down the side walk in front of our house. I laugh when I think about how important sitting in the front seat was to her when we were little; she’d call it days before long trips and often went and sat in the car hours before we were ready to leave. She went through an alternative stage in high school and dyed her hair blue which was very ironic to me considering how mad she was when I accidentally dyed her hair pink when she was in fifth grade. I can’t drink ginger ale without hearing her singing “I’m making my move, to Canada Dry” (she sang that commercial constantly in 1988). She has an amazing voice and I have always been a little envious of it. She was my maid of honor and I was hers. We’re very different in so may ways, but I love her dearly and she is my best, always and forever friend. This summer, I got to photograph the home birth of her baby girl, Gretchen. I don’t have words to describe how amazing it was to be there but I can tell you, that I’ve tucked it away in my heart and mind and will never, ever, forget it. Congratulations, Michelle, Gil, Caeden and Levi and welcome to the family, Gretchen!

You are one very special, very loved and very lucky little girl. <3