...the true confessions of mrs. olson...

I had a nice 25th birthday today. Unfortunately, my husband had to leave me for work... but he tried to make up for it with letting me sleep in an extra hour, 2 new dvds to watch, a book, taking me to Gatti's for lunch, a DQ ice cream cake, and some pretty flowers. He really is such a great husband. I'm very thankful for him. Lily didn't care at all that it was my birthday... woke up at 5, fought naps, and got very cranky in the afternoon.

However, this post is not about me...

Suzanne's birthday is the day after mine. As I've now written a birthday post for mom and dad, I can't leave out my big sis. (pictured below in the blue wig... I'm the little one that looks like it has Down's Syndrome)

Suzanne is turning 29... very hard to believe. In my head we're still those nerdy kids with country accents from our home videos.

I've decided, in honor of her birthday, to tell 29 things about my sister.
So here goes:
1. she laughs at ALL my jokes
2. she's the most loyal of companions
3. she used to need me to walk with her into social events
4. she had 3 Legends of the Fall posters side by side in her room in high school
5. while other kids my age were listening to Raffi... I was listening to Bon Jovi --thanks to Suzanne
6. Speaking of... she had a Bon Jovi pin that she wore on her jean jacket in elementary school
7. she's made me WAY cooler than I would normally have been without her
8. she used to con me into doing her chores by saying she'd play barbies with me
9. then she'd dream up a catastrophic death for her characters like tornado (ceiling fan) or falling off a mountain (side of the bed)
10. one time she ate my piece of leftover pizza... so she made be canned biscuits in a heart shaped pan
11. she's AWESOME at pop-culture trivia
12. she always wanted me to come with her to hang out with her friends... even in high school
13. we have a special voice that we used to talk to each other in... now we use it to keep things light in uncomfortable situations
14. she always listened to music to go to sleep... usually Buffalo Springfield or Phil Driscoll
15. she's only 5'4'' but is ready to stand up to anyone if she feels it necessary
16. she'd ride bikes with me to Wendy's and the library
17. she was willing to put on a swimsuit and dance with me in front of the t.v. with MTV spring break
18. she used to let me sleep with her in her bed after I'd write her a note and slip it to her at some point during the evening
19. she usually has kept me from doing anything stupid-- I would never want to disappoint her
20. she refuses to dance in public... but in middle school had a signature dance move that she did ANY time ANY place
21. she HATES when people breathe loud, are sick, or make noises when they yawn
22. she's ALWAYS made me feel like I'm someone special
23. she has scars on her legs from me scratching her under the table at morning bible study... with my TOEnails
24. she picked me up from school to go see Titanic and we RAN into the theater to get the best seats
25. she was the BEST at figuring out our Christmas presents
26. she has a terrible sense of direction--we once got lost trying to find an Old Navy and ended up in inner-city Houston
27. she still cares what I think
28. she once called me 'incompetent' and we had a fight that would qualify us for the WWF
29. she gave me the cutest little nephew anyone could want


I wouldn't be the person I am without her beside me these 25 years. She's my best friend, my kindred spirit, my secret keeper, my second mother, my trusted adviser, my fraternal twin born 3 years and 364 days apart... and I love her more than words can express. It's a great comfort to know she'll still be all of those things when I turn 85, too.