My Gorgeous Sister (One of Them)

Yesterday when I was rambling on about my weird issues, I should have been singing this girl praises. As you may or may not know, this is Catherine, my as-of-yesterday twenty-one-year-old sister. Also known as Kitkat-1-0-3-L-I or, for short, Cat.

Catherine is the awesomest. She is smart (without-trying). Funny (she can always make me laugh). And beautiful (as you can see). In fact, when I was in high school, a church member in the ward (congregation) where we grew up once told me how Catherine would surely be the prettiest Wanlass sister (kind of a funny thing to tell me--I think we're all pretty good-looking, kind of a toss-up in my opinion--but true story). My favorite thing about Catherine is how much she cares about others. She is such a loving, compassionate, superb human being. Phone calls with her got me through some rather lonely mornings of being a new stay-at-home mother. And she was a terrific Relief Society president her freshman year at college. She is a natural leader. She also is good about putting up with my teasing and always talking to her in text lingo.

At the end of August, she and her boyfriend Christian (pictured below) came out to visit us for a week, which was so, so extremely fantastic of them. At their own expense, they drove all the way here from Utah, arriving hours after we arrived back from a ten-day vacation to see my parents and two youngest siblings out on the East Coast.

They know how to have a good time. I was so, so happy to see my sister (the phone just doesn't cut it). And it was great to finally meet Catherine's boyfriend. I enjoyed picking his brain a bit about photography. He has style, is fun to talk to and obviously cares deeply about Catherine. So I can't withhold approval. He's great.

Here's a run-down of what we were up to with them quoted from my weekly family e-mail update:

"...We got home and got the kids to bed, then set up beds for Catherine and her boyfriend Christian who rolled in about 12am. It was really fun to meet him and WONDERFUL to see Cat. We enjoyed lots of fun with them and Rachel [who had come back with us] and Mom when she arrived the next week: Hitting the Spring Hill pool (Saturday). Church (Sunday). Playing bananagrams (Sunday). Bopping around the house (all the time). Eating homemade Cafe Rio (Monday). Home evening (Monday). Going to the track and a local park (Tuesday). Eating Gates' barbeque (Tuesday night) while my sister-in-law fed and watched the girls---Rachel loved seeing my niece Emma again. Laughing hilariously in the car on the way to and from BBQ (also Tuesday, "Did someone say __Tuesday_[ or insert word of choice]_"). Enjoying a local farmstead (Wednesday). Chocolate-dipped cones at McDonald's (Wednesday). Hanging with Mom (Thursday). Eating Cat's and Christian's marvelous spicy cajun chicken pasta (Thursday). Sharing Cat's goofy childhood antics with Christian (as much as possible)...

And did I mention they kept my kiddos happy and occupied on a nearly constant basis for the full week? It was a dream to have them here.

I hope your birthday was all it should be, my dear Catherine. Here are those pictures of you. I wish I had one of you pretending to be a puppy, tied up to a chair or trying to lick my hand. (Her favorite childhood pasttime, you know. It extended nearly to middle school.)

Thanks for being not just my sister, but one of my very bestest friends. I'm very lucky to have you in my life.