Love, Your Little Sister

Dear Tomi,
Happy Birthday, big sister. I'm so glad that you took me to the pool all those days when I was a baby, even if the creepers in the trailer park asked if I was your daughter. That's okay though, because life has come full circle. Now, when I take your adorable daughter to the park, people ask me the same thing. 

Thanks for instilling in me a healthy pair of screaming lungs. I will never forget the sight of that beheaded chubby-baby-meets-barbie-doll chasing me through the house. 
Thanks for secretly feeding me meat that time Mom and Dad went vegan. I was really hungry. 

Thanks for never getting tired of me calling you those first few dozen times I went grocery shopping on my own to ask you "Now which one do I like? Mayonnaise of Miracle Whip?" and "Which kind of pickles?" And thanks for always stocking up on the right kind in your fridge, knowing that I will sometimes pick the wrong one and need a back up meal. 
I will always be fond of the time we spent spying on your neighbor from the picture window. I hope he stopped taking showers in the kitchen sink. And I still can't believe he moved his mother out and his girlfriend in. 

And most of all, thanks for never getting scared when I send you texts like this:

Happy Birthday, big sister.