Nearly 18 years ago, on a hot summer afternoon, I sat down with my sister to play a board game. This was a rare occasion, as my sister was ten years older than me and generally thought I was only there to be picked on. But, while she still spent a lot of time telling me I was adopted and randomly singing White Christmas to make me cry, Salem seemed a little more willing to tolerate my presence since she had become pregnant. Maybe she wanted some practice before she had a little kid of her own following her around and bugging her, or maybe she was just growing up. Regardless, there we were: playing Guess Who, the awesomest of two-person kid's games (after Connect Four, of course).
Unfortunately, our game was interrupted when Salem started acting weird. After a couple of trips to the bathroom, she went into the back bedroom to call my mom. I was initially pretty annoyed that she was letting pee breaks and phone calls get in the way of our oh-so-important game, but it didn't take long for me to realize that something was going on. A short time later, my mom came home (in the middle of the afternoon!) and whisked Salem away to the hospital. Apparently, Salem was in labor. And we hadn't finished our game!
Hours later, after all of the hubbub died down, I stood on our back porch with my dad. We looked at the stars and breathed the cool, summer air, while he talked to me about the important role I would have in my new niece's life.
"Someday," he said, "When she's your age, you can tell her all about the day she was born. Tell her that it was overcast and a little chilly. And you can tell her what you were doing and what you were thinking when you found out that today was going to be the day you would become an aunt."
My little mind started going crazy with thoughts of the future. I was determined to be a cool aunt. I would help her learn how to put on makeup, and give her advice about boys, and watch as she reached the important milestones of life. It didn't matter that I didn't know how to put on makeup, or that I still thought boys were gross. I would grow up, and then I would help her grow up.
Well, I don't know how much help I really was over the years. It turns out, my sister is a fantastic mom, and my niece didn't need me to teach her about makeup, boys, homework, or any of those other things. She didn't need a "cool aunt" because she had a really cool mom. But I was fortunate enough to get to watch her grow up. It was so much fun to be around as she went through all of the awkward phases of childhood and the teenage years, and to see her come out the beautiful woman she is now. And I was thrilled to be there, a couple of weeks ago, to see her reach the first of many milestones of her adult life.
Belle graduated from high school!
It was a very emotional event (especially for Salem), but it was certainly a joyous occasion! So we will move away from all the sappiness above, and present the happy events in my more typical blog format! Enjoy:
The whole family gathered to watch her walk with her class and receive her diploma.
Graduation! Belle trying to keep her hat from blowing away before she walks across stage, the kids throwing their hats!
It was very exciting!
After the ceremony, we gathered for food, cake, and presents!
After the ceremony, we gathered for food, cake, and presents!
The festivities! I made potato salad and baked beans to go with the spread. And I made Belle a little robot purse and tucked a little graduation happiness inside.
I'm so proud of the woman Belle has become, and Matt and I are excited to be around for the next milestones! Love you, Belle, and good luck at CSU! Go Rams!
Aunts: we're important!
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