My favorite (and only) sister was born on the 22nd of February and thirteen years later ( really 12 years, 362 days but who gets that specific?) I was born on the 19th.

She was like a second mom to me until I was about six years old. That year, my father was transferred, and we moved, but my sister stayed behind. I remember crying for her.

We’ve been separated by physical distance for almost all of our years. It wasn’t until I was in my late 30’s that we got to know each other well enough to be as close as we are now.

For the past twenty years or so,  Las Vegas has been our go to spot for a joint birthday celebration. We both inherited the gambling gene from our mother and for many of those years, the three of us made the trip.   When mom was no longer able to go, it became a sister trip and something we love to do together.  Along with our love of Las Vegas, we share the same quirky sense of humor, so we laugh when we’re together, no matter where we are.

My freakishly short armed selfie of us. Birthday trip 2014

But this year we are dealing with change.  My sister has had a rough year health wise and isn’t able to travel.   We’re both holding on to the hope that next year we’ll be back in the old birthday routine, but this year I’ll be going to Las Vegas alone for my birthday.  Then I’ll travel to see my sister for her birthday.

For me, change, though constant,  has never been easy.   I know the change my sis has gone through this year has been very hard for her but through it all, she has kept a positive attitude.   She is still setting an example for her little sis.

We’ll have our sister trip this year, even if it’s just a ride around in the car or a trip to Chik-Fil-A.   We can randomly yell “jackpot!” here and there and pretend we’re sitting in the casino, side by side at our favorite machines.  We may get kicked out of Chik-Fil-A but hey, you’ve got to live a little dangerously sometimes.

Get ready sis, I love you, and I’ll see you soon. Oh, and you might want to call ahead and warn Chik-Fil-A…