When the kids and I evacuated for the hurricane to my dad's house in North Carolina, we got to spend a lot of time with my family. It was really pretty terrific. One of the best things that happened when we were there was that I got to really connect with my sister, Laurie. She prefers to go by Laura now, but she will always be Laurie to me. She is the single mom of two high spirited kids, full time manager at the department of motor vehicles, sometimes works a second job in order to make ends meet, cheerleading coach, etc. etc. If you wonder why we've had a hard time connecting before now - it's because she is so dang busy! I was almost 10 years old when Laurie was born. Our dad and my mom were divorced, so I didn't always live with them. I remember thinking she was a little doll when she was small. Our lives did not always allow us the time to develop our relationship as sisters, but for me this time when we visited for the almost month that we were gone, it really clicked. I realized we have more in common that not, and that she is somebody that would be one of my dearest friends and companions if we lived closer to one another. My kids are just crazy about her. She is a pretty amazing person - and today is her 29th birthday! Happy Birthday Laurie. I am still hoping we can do something spectacular together next year when we turn 30 and 40! I love you!Not to be outdone by our sister's birthday, my brother Rob sent us stats on the 10K marathon that he ran this weekend. You can read them here under Rob Main, or #563 on the list. I am so proud of him. Mostly because I remember when he was younger having orthopedic doctors advising my parents that in order to have legs that worked properly - his legs flexed his feet outward sort of like a duck - he would have to have them intentionally broken. They never had that surgery done, thankfully, but he had to wear painful "corrective" shoes for years. For him to be a runner now and to run this marathon is quite an accomplishment. Awesome.
