i have an older sister... her name is krista

this is my beautiful older sister krista. i don't even know where to begin to tell you about this amazing young woman. it was pretty tough coming along behind her as clumsily as i did, but she has been the most amazing example and friend.

now, to be honest with you... we had a bit of a rough start. she was pretty intrigued by me when she first saw me, but soon after, she informed my parents that they could take me back to wherever it was that they had gotten me. we are only 23 months apart, but that was 23 months of all the attention being on her. as you can see in the picture she obviously got over her initial dislike, and we were fast friends. as my grandma always likes to remind me... i was "always trying to catch up." the month between our birthdays was always my favorite because i was only "1" year behind her instead of 2.

now, us being friends isn't to say that we didn't have our issues. sure we fought, but she was always so protective, and we had the best time.

she was always there to calm me down and help me behave... as you can see from this picture, i wasn't having the best day. the ties on my dress are undone, and i have a look on my face that says i'm looking for trouble. krista apparently was holding me down. :) we had a blast for six long years.

and then came our very special baby. we felt like our family was complete... then kaycie came along, and then we KNEW our family was complete. she was the glue that we needed to solidify everything. now... i was the baby for six years, which made for a very interesting time in our sister world. krista was the peacemaker. she had wonderful relationships with both kaycie and me, and she would always be the intermediary in our little spats.

she was such a good big sister and took her roll very seriously. she always made sure that she set a good example for her little sisters. she took great care of us, even mothering us a bit... well, a lot. :)

(insert awkward teenage years here... kris, i decided to save us both as neither of us fared so well during those years) ;)

like i said, it was a bit tough following so closely after krista and trying to live up to the name that she had created for us. she was well spoken, creative, well behaved, well mannered, lady-like, smart, and SO incredibly talented in everything she pursued. i wanted to be just like her and completely different at the same time. she went to BYU, so i went to BYU... she went on a mission, so i went on a mission... but i know that the way that we approached those endeavors were so incredibly different.

one of the things i will always remember was the day the way i looked at krista completely changed. i had always looked at her as that older sister/mother figure... someone that i would never be able to catch, no matter how hard i tried, and someone who was stronger than i would ever be. she called me one day to tell me about an assignment she had for one of her classes. it was to write a short paper on three people she considered heroes... she said that she just wanted me to know that i was one of those people. krista told me she was grateful for the example of strength that i gave to her... because every time i fell into a hole (usually of my own making), that i fought like hell to climb back out of it.

when krista left on her mission, that was a time that allowed kaycie and i to grow closer (more on that for her bday next week) and now the three of us are best of friends. my junior and senior years at BYU were the greatest just because all three of us were there in utah.

i just thought i would throw this picture in here. krista has just hit me... and it actually hurt. :)

i could not have gotten through my wedding week without krista. she did my hair and make up, she made my bridesmaid dresses, my cake, took most of my pictures, helped mom put together my reception.

it was so special to have here there. i know it wasn't such a vacation for her, but there was something so amazing about looking over and seeing here in that sealing room...

krista, you are such an amazing and strong example to me... the way that you live the gospel and live your life helps light a fire under everyone around you. you teach us to go for our dreams and live life to the fullest. you are AMAZING and i LOVE you!!! :)