Mallory...sister, friend, hero... bride

My sister Mallory is getting married this Saturday, and almost nothing brings me greater joy. Why? Because I think she is positively one of the coolest people I have ever known.

We met for the first time (we are step-sisters, but I never make the distinction) when we were both about 8 years old. We are only 3 months and 5 days apart, so you would think that this was like having an instant best friend. It wasn't really that way in the beginning. She was dealing with the death of her father, and I was dealing with the divorce, so I guess you could say that we were both trying to be tough and strong while dealing with a lot for 7-year-olds. We butted heads a lot growing up, but we also had a lot of fun together. We pretended we were shipwrecked in the summer at our grandparent's cottage on the lake in Michigan, and put on skits and dances that my mom recorded for our posterity on the video camera. We actually watched some of them last year, and I about died. We hung out all summer painting our nails, taking swim lessons and trying to get through synchronized swimming without laughing. We traveled to Prague and Greece together... 2 trips that I loved and enjoyed all the more because Mallory was there.

Mallory always had a lot of friends. She was spunky and goofy and cute. She's still that way, which is why people love her because she makes you feel comfortable and that you aren't being judged. She's extremely talented with hair and makeup, even though growing up she couldn't figure out which way to turn the curling iron so that it didn't leave kinks at the ends. She's the one in the family who has the most fashion sense and has really embraced life and all its opportunities. I have loved watching her grow and become successful in her career, in life, and now she has someone to share that with.

Mallory and I in some ways seemed to have parallel lives. We didn't ever live together, except in the summers, but we had a lot of similar experiences. Perhaps our head butting was really due to how similar in personality the two of us are. We both left for school, graduated, got jobs, lived on our own. We had boyfriends and breakups and talked about what would become of us knowing that we were both doing exactly what we wanted to be doing. Our parents were worried that we would be alone forever, but I know we would both be fine. Why? Because as strong and independent women with a lot of potential and passion for life, it would take someone special to sweep us off our feet.

It was hard for me to get married last year because I knew that things were going to be different. For the first time in ages it seemed we were not living parallel lives, and I admit openly that I have missed her a lot this past year. However, nothing makes me happier than knowing she has found someone who recognizes the awesome person that she really is. The only thing that saddens me is that I won't be able to attend. Nairn sort of threw a wrench in my summer travel plans.

I admire her. I love her. She is my hero for so many reasons. She's one of my very best friends, and I will be cheering for her this Saturday... and so will Nairn.