Dear Mandi-

When I was growing up, I thought you were gorgeous and I thought you were ridiculously cool. I loved the fact that you had long, straight, light hair and light eyes. You were always dressed really nice and your boyfriends seemed huge and really manly to me. I was in awe of you.

Then when I was a teenager, you were married and settled and you had two cute kids and really nice husband and a great life. I was still in awe because you seemed so good at adulthood. I hoped that someday I would have what you had: the white picket fence, cute kids, husband with a good job, etc.

Now, I sort of do have what you had. My husband's job sort of sucks, but it's a job that people respect and that he's good at. I have cute kids, a cute dog, a happy marriage, and a wonderful life. I'm normally pretty good at adulthood, just like you were when your family was starting out.

The thing is, though, that I still haven't caught up to you. You're still ahead of me because now your kids are grown and you're starting to focus more on yourself again. My kids are still small and focusing on myself is hard at this point.

You're in cosmetology school and doing you and I'm doing play dates and changing diapers. You live in Alaska and I live in Washington. The best word to describe us right now is "apart." Our lives are too far apart for us to have the kind of closeness that I have always wished we'd have someday. I grew up longing for the day when we'd be best friends and I am still longing for it.

Despite the fact that we don't talk enough, never see each other, and are sisters from afar I want you to know a few things:
-I am still in awe of you. I still think you are beautiful and amazing and I would still be a total success if I wound up being like you.
-I love you.
-I'm proud of you. I think you did a fantastic job with your kids when they were little and now I think you are doing a fantastic job with yourself as an adult.
-I am still fairly certain that one day we will be closer. We will have the friendship that I have always dreamed of. I still feel confident that it's in the cards.
-Having sisters is the best thing ever, even when they're far away and you're not BFFs. I love that I can say, "That's my sister."
-Again, I love you.

I love you, my sister, even if I don't say it enough.

Love,
Molly