I can't believe where we are today. I can't believe we're not still playing games we made up in our own heads in the backyard no matter what the weather is or challenging each other in MarioKart on our Nintendo DSes. I can't believe we're not still nine and ten riding our bikes to Dairy Queen and getting soft-serve cones in the middle of July afternoons.

I can't believe that I don't see you every day anymore or even talk to you every day. I can't believe you're about to begin the rest of your life in a few short months, you still seem like you're 8 years old tagging along on everything I did. But this is the one adventure we had to pursue on our own.

I talked to you on the phone the other day and you might've thought I was crying because I was sad, but really I was crying because hearing you say the things you did about events happening in both our lives made me realize how grown-up we really are. Not only that but because I was so proud of the things you were saying and the way you were handling the situation, you've grown up so beautifully and I couldn't ask for a better little sister.

Everyone always says growing up with a sister so close in age is hard because you're always at odds and I'd say that was beyond true for us. But, everyone also says your sister so close in age becomes your absolute best friend; as you grow up the bond only becomes stronger.

I felt the first initial feelings of this during this phone call and it made me realize that even though we've been living two very separate and different lives for years there will always be one constant, each other.

I write your essays, help you spell things right, and help you word your sentences to make yourself sound good. You helped me do the homework for the math class we were both in, teach me math lessons I just can't understand and explain why math exists and talk me down from dropping out after failing math tests. My life would be 99% less interesting if I hadn't had you as my little sister and I couldn't imagine my life without you (and neither could my math grade).

I can't wait to watch you take on the rest of your life fiercely and find out who you truly are in college. I'm so excited for everything life has to offer you, you're going to go so far lil sis. I know sometimes we don't get along the best but that doesn't mean underneath it all we don't love each other unconditionally, we do. It's so easy to forget about our special relationship as sisters, especially pursuing our own separate futures but it never truly gets away from us it's in the foundation of who we are as people and will never truly leave our souls.

In these last few months at home, have so much fun and don't stress too much about anything. Everything in your life should make you happy, as you told me, so focus on bringing that happiness to yourself from every aspect of your life, in these last few months of high school, the last summer before you head out into the rest of your life, and into college in August.

I'm so excited to see where life takes you on this crazy journey and watch you conquer each and every mountain that gets in your way. We're going to continue growing up, things are going to keep changing, but you'll always be my little sis. I love you so much.

love,

Jess