Week 31: Heather

This is my sister Heather. I'm so lucky to have her as a sister. She, her husband Mike, and two girls live in Texas now, and I wish I could see them more!

I have so many great memories of growing up with Heather. She was truly very nice to me, even though I was most definitely the annoying little sister. We, with our sister Adrienne, had so many adventures on the ranch together. We'd go outside all day and play on the haystacks, or ride on the four-wheeler, play with the animals, and go exploring in our woods. We had so much fun together growing up. And when she was a teenager, I remember her driving me around and us listening to George Strait and Garth Brooks. She instilled a love of country music in me.

As adults, we have become even closer. When I moved to Tennessee, she was gracious enough to let me and Bubba (my cat) live with her and my niece Mikaila while her husband was deployed. Even though it was only a few months, that was a really great experience for me. We went to the movies together, went to the gym, watched TV and cooked for each other. I'll never forget my time living with her.

Heather has the best laugh. It's loud, like mine, and really heartfelt. It's infectious. She has also always been there for me, to give me advice or to just listen when I needed her to. She is a really good mother, more so than she gives herself credit for. She is a strong wife, being married to an awesome man who has been deployed for several years throughout their marriage. Honestly, I don't know how she does it. They really impress me with their commitment to each other and to their life. They have always been a great example to me of how to be married. She is so loyal to her family, and I know she'd do anything for any of us.

During the last few years, their family has been stationed in North Carolina, and recently back to Texas where we all grew up. I'm glad she's back in Texas with our family. I wish we were close enough to make weekend visits, but I know she's just a phone call (or skype call) away. I'm so glad that she is in my life, and that she's my sister. She's very special to me.

**This is part of the 52 portraits series**