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I was only five when you went away to college. I'm sure you were very excited and couldn't wait to be out of the house and on your own, but all I remember is sadness. Crying that my big sister was leaving me. Soon after you were headed for a mission to Australia with the whole world ahead of you. (I remember the stuffed kangaroo you sent me while you were on the mission. I thought it was so cute and kept it in my room until I left for college.)
I have very few memories of you from my early life. Mostly they consist of me wanting you to lay with me in bed and trying to take up as much of your time as I could when you would come home for a visit. However, even though we were distant in space you have touched my life greatly. Remember the trip to the Ranch that just you and I took together? I was only in middle school or just starting high school and I felt so privileged to be able to go on a trip with you all by myself.
I always wanted to "fit in" with the older kids and be part of what you were doing. Any chance I had to be with you made me feel special. On the family cruise you took this picture with me and then sent it to me afterward with a note saying how much you liked my hair in braids like that. It was something small but something I remember. 
You made me want to live in Boston because that is where you lived and I thought everything you did was so exciting and great...and now I live in Boston!
My very first trip to New York City was with you. It was rainy and cold and we only stayed for a day but I had a lot of fun anyway.
And then you moved to Salt Lake while I was living in Provo and we finally had the chance to do the sister things I always wanted. (I was attending college at BYU because that is where you went and so from the time I was young that is where I wanted to go too.) I was no longer the little kid running around crazy and being annoying and you were no longer the older sister who was away living her own life. While in Salt Lake you took the time to invite me to special occasions, you learned about my friends and I loved the time we spent together shopping, eating out, watching and Cougarette's, and just having fun.
There are so many things that I love about you. You are a mover and a shaker with lots going on but when you are spending time with people you put aside everything else and make them feel special and important by asking questions about their lives and not answering your phone. Your example has given me courage to make bold decisions with my life. I never thought twice about picking up my life and moving to Washington DC without knowing anyone because I had seen you do that many times. I am so blessed to have you in my life and can't wait to celebrate your birthday together sunning ourselves in the Bahamas. Thanks for the kind notes, great advice, and wonderful example you have shown me over the years. I look forward to many more memories to come.