HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMBER: The Extended Version

I said a few days ago I would write a longer entry for my sister’s birthday when I had time. Well, I’ll probably never have the time to really do her justice. So I will have to just stop, write, post and consider it done.

Amber’s one tough woman. Younger than me by a year and a half, but older than me in every other way. Strong, strong-willed, rough, tender, loving, witty, smart, hilarious, mean, inviting, intimidating, captivating, scary, intense, amazing and never, ever, ever boring. Never. A contradiction in terms, an amazingly complex person. I love her more with every passing day. I’ve watched her layers fold out and open my whole life.

From the tiny, spitfire, stick figure kid sister…

to the hilarious teenage rebellion hurricane (hilarious because she is truly funny, not just because this picture is ridiculous)…

to the tall loudmouth beauty with a wild mane of hair and a presence that commands every room…

to the subdued (relatively, haha), responsible, devoted mother and wife.

(I would love to post some of my favorite photos of her, but they are of her making goofy faces. And considering she’s pregnant again and currently screening the entire internet for published photos of herself, I will avoid her wrath and post only the good ones. Except that 7th grade photo, which she can’t blame me for anyway.)

Like the petals of a flower and its stem, my sister’s layers are held together by a root. Hers is made of love and raw feeling. Her unbelievable, undefeatable spirit. It’s not her looks that keep folks looking. It’s that spirit. I look up to her. Physically (she’s 5’8″, the lucky rat) and mentally. My younger big sister.

Happy 29th birthday, seeeester. You will love this year, and we will love it because you are in it.