"Who is your biggest role model?" We get asked this question a lot when we are younger. Many people expect the same answers ,"my mom" or "my grandma." For me, it has always been my big sister, Samantha.

My sister and I did not have the most normal relationship growing up. We do not have the same mother and we did not grow up living in the same town. There is also a 7 year age gap between us. A few times every year my dad and I would go pick her up and bring her back to Wichita, where we live, and have to take her home as the weekend was over. We were not around each other very much so we did not have time to fight or argue like normal siblings you hear about. We cherished the moments we spent together, and if we did not it was probably because I was being a brat, but who knows?

My sister has been the most positive influence in my life, hands down. She is one of my biggest fans and number one supporters. I got to grow up watching her go through high school and college and whether she knows it or not, it has been a huge blessing for me. Everything that she has done that she might think of as a "mistake" in her life, has helped me see the right things to do. She has also let me live out my own mistakes. She helped me understand that you are not always going to date the right boy that makes dad happy and you are not always going to make the right decision when you forget to turn your headlights on and drive down the street at night, but these are the things that I am forever grateful for.

Now that we are older and I have had time to understand how much of an effect she has had on me, even though she is not around, I am so thankful that God chose us to be sisters, because I have no idea what I would do without her. Who else would I be able to go see on the weekends when I want to get away from the stresses of everyday life, or who would stop at 3 different places on the way home because we want french fries, pizza, and ice cream for dinner? These are the memories that I will never be able to replace.

Sammy, I love you to the moon and back. Thank you for being the best big sister that a girl could ever have. Thank you for blessing me with the cutest little curly headed niece ever. Thank you for being you and for being such a blessing in my life. I am forever grateful for you.