Ma Soeur Sara

I know this picture isn't great, but I love it. I was 14 and I had gone to visit Sara in Idaho. This is us in an ice cave. We're standing like that because when we tried to get closer we kept falling down.

Sara is the older sister that every kid dreams of. While Sara is one of the most mature people I know, she is never "too old" to do anything and she knows how to make fun. On saturdays when we had to clean the house Sara decided we should have races. So we'd start in a circle with our bums in the middle and then race. When she came home from college and we were making up dances she would always join in the fun. When we had to put up the Christmas lights and it was not fun, she suggested we eat lunch up there. That was fun.

Sara is one of the most understated person I know. (She and Chrissy tie for first.) There are many examples of this, but I'll tell you my favorite. At Sara's college graduation when my mom was browsing through the program she discovered Sara was graduating magna cumlaude. She felt like a horrible mother because she had no idea. After the program she went up to Sara and said, "Uh, Sara, why didn't you tell me you were graduating magna cumlaude?" To which Sara replied, "What's that?" Now I don't know about you, but if I graduated magna cumlaude I'd make sure everyone knew about it. (What do you think Facebook is for?)

More awesome things about Sara:
- Sara is a lifelong learner. She loves to learn and she is always finding opportunities to expand her knowledge. She will read the entire biography of some historical figure, learn a new piece on the piano (just for the heck of it!), and the list goes on...
- Sara gives the most thoughtful gifts. Every Christmas you hear about giving "gifts from the heart." Sara always gives these types of gifts.
- Sara is a great example of being healthy. I know you're thinking this is something silly to say, but hey I admire it. Candy lasts in her cupboard for a long time. I know what candy she has better than she does. One time when I asked her for a Rolo, she said, "Sorry, we don't have any." You can imagine my embarrassment when I went and grabbed the Rolo I had been spying and showed it to her.
- There are two people in my family who understand why I go to BYU-Idaho, Chrissy and Sara. (They both went there.) While it flatters me that the rest of my family is constantly asking me to transfer it's nice to know that Sara really gets it. The day I left for college she gave me a letter about BYU-I. She gave me a great must-do list and I love pulling it out every semester and getting ideas.

Growing up has shortened the six year gap, and I've loved it. Last month I had the chance to go stay with Sara for a few days and I had such a great time. We stayed at home, cooked together, exercised, watched awesome movies, did puzzles, played with her adorable son, and just talked. I am always glad to spend time with Sara and it was nice be in her home and see her in "her element."