laurapalooza

My sweet baby sister, Laura, turned twenty one last night at midnight and we are a little bit beside ourselves at how fast this tiny gal has grown up!  It seems like just yesterday the three Casanova girls were playing dress-up, riding our bikes in the driveway and awaiting our little brother.  I am so proud of the wonderful woman she has become and cherish all of the things she has taught our family over the years.

CHEERS TO YOU, Laura-Lu! 

Dear little munchkin,

It is so fun to be your sister.  You keep our family laughing with your un-filtered observations, make every dance party the BEST we've ever had, and take such good care of all of us.  You are the peace keeper, the entertainer, the punching bag (sorry for all of the times we used to throw you in the air wrapped in a blanket and take advantage of your size), and the resident nurse/bravest of bug-killers.  You have changed all of our relationships and constantly remind Kathleen and I how fun it is to be "the three musketeers." I love our "sister trips" - from Chapel Hill to New York City we have truly taken the world by storm.  Kardashians, watch out!  

(photograph courtesy of Brittany Strebeck Photography)

I am so proud of the mark you have made in Tucson.  The University of Arizona and the Chi Omega house will never be the same.  You are SUCH a hard worker, such an organized leader, and such a good companion to your friends, sorority sisters, roommates, and anyone who needs help or might be a little bit homesick.  I know that your friends are so blessed to have met someone like you in college - you are just the kind of friend I would want (and lucky for me, I have you not only as a sister but also as one of my bffs!).  

Thank you for being my fellow Kickapoo.  What an incredible couple of summers we had together in Hunt on the river at Camp Arrowhead - you sneaking to my cabin in the thunderstorms to cuddle under the covers and dance on the top bunk with the hairbrush as your microphone.  You were so tiny - I will never forget seeing your purple-blue lips and shivering little self sitting on the side of the water during "swim lessons" because you were too small to keep yourself warm during the races.  I hope we can send our daughters to camp together down the road - that they will be the best of friends/cousins and enjoy those cool nights and long hot days making friends with other adventurous tomboys.  

I cannot wait to see where life takes you.  I so love watching your relationship with Blake grow, and living vicariously through your adventures.  I am so proud of your trip to Spain (nannies for life!), and am so impatient to see where you head next.  I know the road after-college can seem a bit bumpy and treacherous from afar, but trust me, you will love it.  I don't think there's a single challenge you haven't faced head-on, and everywhere you go, people will fall in love with you.  

From curly-haired cutie and lovely lady, just remember....I love you to the moon and back,

Ana Banana

Here are some of my favorite Laura pictures (in no particular order) that I found on my computer - enjoy!