A Blog for Brigitte

I can't believe it's been two years since I wrote a blog after Josh's graduation. It's even more unbelievable that my little sister is 18 years old and going off to the University of Kansas in the fall. I'm so proud of Brigitte and all of her accomplishments in high school and know she is going to do great things in the future.

Last semester, I was talking about Brigitte to a classmate and the classmate asked me if Brigitte was like me. I laughed. "No, not really," I said. Brigitte and I are very different in a lot of different ways, but that's one of the reasons I love her so much. Oftentimes, it is the younger sister who wants to be like the older sister and the older sister is annoyed by this, but most of my life I have been trying to get Brigitte to like me. She is magnetic and a joy to be around. Here are a few of the amazing traits that I admire about Brigitte:

*She can make me laugh like no one else in the whole world. There have been countless times in which I have stayed up way too late as she tells me stories and I have laughed until my stomach hurt.

*Her fantastic sense of style. She always knows exactly how to do her hair or what color to paint her nails or what outfit to put together to make herself look fabulous. (It doesn't hurt that she has the most beautiful hair in the world ;))

*Her determination. There is no question that Brigitte worked harder than both Josh and I combined in high school. When she sets her mind to something, nothing can stop her and she wants to be the very best she can be.

*She always wants everything to be fair. I remember when we were kids, Josh and I were always fighting. Brigitte would always pick a side based on who she thought was the underdog (usually Josh since I was bigger than him). When I would give one of the dogs a treat, she would promptly go outside and give our other dog a treat so it was fair. She always played the role of peacekeeper, something we often needed.

*Her love of music. There is rarely a time when that girl isn't listening to music. She knows all the latest artists and is the best sing-along buddy.

*Her energy. That girl never stops moving. Her energy can fill the room and energizes others. That's why she is such a good leader.

*She lets me hug her all the time. I'm probably (definitely) the most affectionate person in our family and she is always been the #1 target of my hugs. She may roll her eyes, but she always takes them.

*Her artistic side. Brigitte can make great decorations for any holiday or party. If you came to her graduation party, you saw that. She may not be able to draw or paint like my mom, but she definitely inherited somewhat of an artistic eye and I imagine her future house/wedding/birthday parties will be beautiful.

Congratulations Brigitte! I love you :)