21

No, this is not a new Kiefer Sutherland drama where the characters actually sleep for 3 hours...today is my little sister Lo's 21st birthday. It's amazing how the time goes by...I can very clearly recall being little with her and playing together. Here are some of the highlights...

* Maple Town - I don't know whatever happened to this, I suppose it was replaced by Pokemon and Teletubbies, but this was something we truly enjoyed. I can distinctly remember the excitement of new "families" and the Maple Town house. Good times.
* Sharing a room - Lo used to sing me to sleep when we shared a room. My favorite was "Little bunny foo foo hoppin' through the for-est, scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head!"
* Christmas Eve - for many years, we would share a bed on Christmas Eve and speculate about the morning to come. Then I became older and stupid and put an end to this practice, but I feel really bad about it. I even shamed her into staying with me last year :)

As Lo got older, the inevitable sibling tensions were there, and Maple Town was no longer cool...but she's a remarkable woman. One of my favorite memories is the night she was elected President of the Band for her senior year of high school. Our parents were on vacation in Alaska for their 25th wedding anniversary, so I was the one who got to be there with her. I was so proud, I almost cried. Then we celebrated by going to Steak 'n' Shake for milkshakes and fries. That was a good night.

So happy birthday, Lo. And brush up on that poker face for a weekend full of fun in Atlantic City! Stay tuned for pictures...

(For other tributes to Lo, see Bryan's blog)