Sweet Sista's!

I am a very happy wife, and I am enjoying our new home, but I must let it be known that I miss my sisters! There is something so comfortable about being around family. And now, it's worse than ever. Before I went to visit family in Utah, I could pick up the phone and call my mom or Maria any time I wanted, but now that they are in Japan, it takes very careful planning to call without waking them up in the middle of the night. Thanks to skype, calling is possible at all, and for that I am grateful, but it's still a little sad to lose contact to an extent. Anyone familiar with my family knows that I have a lot of sisters. And now with two sisters in law, the total is up to seven. So instead of moping about being far away, I want to write a little bit about why my sisters are worth missing like crazy.
And now, in order of newness in the sister category...

Lauren Leininger (gained sisterhood May 23, 2008)
Lauren is Jon's sister, and I couldn't be happier to have inherited her as my own. She has a great sense of humor, and is so much fun. She is a talented artist, and really seems to find joy in the little things in life, which I really admire. One of my favorite moments was when I "officially" asked her to be one of my bridesmaids, and she squealed a delighted yes. She is uninhibited (she was willing to post video of herself and her brothers disco dancing to Stayin' Alive on Facebook) and determined (she plays a mean game of Settlers of Catan). Lauren recently graduated from high school in Texas and is getting ready to attend Southern Virginia University in the fall. We are excited to have her a little bit closer!

Megan Bunker Haynie (gained sisterhood November 16, 2007)
Megan is creative, talented, and has the amazing ability to practice self-denial (she once went without sugar for two years...yikes!). Before she was ever dating Joseph, I remember her smiling big (like she is so good at) and inviting me to come to ward choir practice. Had I been a better person, I would have gone. My failure to join the choir, however, did not scare her away from the whole family. She somehow managed to catch my brother's attention (and considering how much Joseph has his head in the clouds, catching his attention can be a little bit tricky) and we are lucky to have her. Anyone that my wonderful brother would marry has to be pretty amazing, and Megan is definitely that!

Rachel Marie Haynie (gained sisterhood April 24, 1996)
Rachel is a light in my life, my shoe shopping partner in crime, and one of the coolest twelve-year-olds out there. She has great fashion sense, which I think has increased our bond as the book-ends of the family. (Her fashion sense, however, seems to have developed a lot faster than mine did. I don't even want to think about what I wore when I was twelve!) She is kind to those around her, and is already an incredibly strong person. It has been astonishing to watch my baby sister become a young woman. I love her so much, and no matter how old she gets, she will always be my bunny-monkey.

Christine (Christy) Elizabeth Haynie (gained sisterhood July 14, 1994)

Christy is probably one of the smartest people I know. And none of the other "smartest" people I know are fourteen. She is not only brilliant, but she is beautiful and loving. She is talented in so many areas, but the thing that sticks out the most to me is her desire to show love to her family. With such a sweet personality, she probably gets taken advantage of more than her fair share, but she endures it with loving patience. We could probably all do well to be a little bit more like Christy. (Plus a little birthday shout out tomorrow!)

Joy Elise Haynie (gained sisterhood November 13, 1990)
I don't know if her name was prophetic of her personality or if her disposition has been formed around her name, but Joy is one of the happiest, kindest, most cheerful people I know. It is not too often that you get the chance to be really close to a sibling nine years younger than you, but I was fortunate enough to have Joy as my roommate, and I was blessed daily for it. She is smart, talented, and extremely selfless. And at seventeen, she has her priorities much straighter than I ever did at that age. Maybe even straighter than I do now! She is blessed with a wisdom beyond her years but there is nothing solemn or somber about her...she knows how to have a great time! Joy is a joy in my life and I miss her everyday.

Diana Lee Haynie (gained sisterhood November 24, 1988)
I know you are thinking that it is not possible to have so many amazing sisters, but I'm telling you...I do! I don't know how I was so blessed, but Diana is absolutely incredible. She has a maturity about her that makes it easy to call her a friend, despite any age gap. She seems to relate to all people, and is not afraid to do things that are extremely difficult...things that I still shy away from. She always has so much on her plate, and I am touched by the way she makes time for family even when that means staying up until three in the morning (or waking up at three in the morning) to finish an assignment. At nineteen, she was recently called as relief society president in a very mature singles ward, and I have no doubt that she is serving in precisely the way she needs to at this time. She has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard, and if she wanted, could make it on Broadway, but instead, is pursuing a career and life of service. I love my Diana!

Maria Ann Oka (gained sisterhood October 17, 1984)

Maria was my first sister, and that alone is enough to make her special. She is three years younger than me, but people have always thought she was older, and I have always looked up to her (except maybe for that buttering the table incident...) She is fun-loving and responsible all at the same time. She is a best friend to me, and I am so grateful for her kindness, advice, empathy and thoughtfulness. She is an incredible wife and now, an amazing mother. She has made me an aunt, for the first time, and her sweet little Brooklyn has stolen my heart! I don't know what I would do without Maria. Having her far away in Japan, I am trying to learn, but the truth is, no matter how far she or I go, we will always be sisters and always be connected.

I LOVE my sisters!! I hope that they have at least an inkling of how truly incredible they are. Thanks for being mine!