HAPPY BIRFDAY KARYNE!

My sister turned 30-something yesterday! So here's a shout out to the big sister and second mum in my life...


(Right: Karyne, youngest son Austin)

There's roughly an 8 year difference in age between me and Karyne, and some of my earliest conscious memories are of a 13 year old and a 4 year old sharing a room. Space was at a premium in our house, but still, this is NOT the ideal situation for peace in a house.

But still, as I was growing up, Karyne was an interesting mix of sister and parent for me. My first ever experience of skipping school was in Grade 3 when she faked a dental appointment for me and we hung out at home. Sure, we got into a fight because she wasn't paying attention when I was trying to tell her something and I packed a bag and started to run away from home to my friend Mavis's house, but it was resolved.

Karyne was a typical child of the 80's, the big hair, the big makeup, the big hair bands, and so on. Well, Mum made the mistake of telling Karyne to get me ready for my class photos in Grade 3, and I let her do whatever cause she was my big sister, and I wanted to be cool like her. So I let her put on the makeup, I let her curl and poof the hair, and I let her put the blue lacy ribbon in my hair. Mum didn't know until the pictures came back, and wow! Karyne and I were in some trouble :)

She was the one who busted me on the smoking, and told mum, who let her handle it. She wrote me letters to encourage me through those difficult teenage years, she took me to Red Deer, Edmonton and Calgary with her when she was in college and university, and as a matter of fact, my first ever university experience was going with her to her Art History class in Red Deer. She had the magic touch for getting me to look old enough to drink in lounges and restaurants with her when I was 15 and 16, but never let me have too much. She took me camping with her and her friends, she got me ready for my first prom experience (a friend's prom), and she wouldn't let me get a nose piercing. She loaned me her car for weekends out, and boy did we have some times in that Chevette! It's funny, she would complain about me being spoiled, but she would spoil me too.

She's got two beautiful boys, a loving husband, a dog, a big lovely house, and her active life, but she still takes time to be a big sister to me, so she occupies a unique place in my life.

HAPPY 30-SOMETHING BIRFDAY KARYNE!