Happy 25th Birthday, Jennifer!

Happy 25th Birthday, Jenny!

I thought it would be fun - rather than my traditional b-day posts - to put up afew pictures of us from the last few years and do some reminiscing. I would go further back - even to the beginning, but don't have any older pictures on my computer and it would be a super long post - cause u know how I can talk ;) heehee!

This is the earliest picture I have of us on here. This is in JaJu's first apartment in Sherburn - you weren't even married yet! Isn't that wierd!? I remember this was one of my favorite pix for a long time and now it's already so long ago! I'm so thankful for the relationship we 3 share as sisters - there's nothing like it! I miss you girls so much!And then, of course, there's Jason, too! ;) Haha! What would we do without him? I feel so bad for girls who don't have the privilege and blessing of an older brother. This was at your wedding rehearsal dinner. This picture cracks me up! It's one of my favorites - a typical Jason moment. I've always enjoyed observing the Jason/Jennifer dynamic. You guys very much shared the typical brother/sister relationship - you were so perfectionist and motherly and Jason loved picking on you to the point of tears and then he wouldn't leave you alone again until he had you laughing or something to that extent. It was quite a show for Jules and I. Haha! But then, I guess, Jules and I put on a good share of our own shows for you guys - it all makes for good and funny memories ;) A personal favorite: "Healing Water." Haha!Your Wedding Day.

You looked so beautiful and radiant on your wedding day. You are one of the most beautiful people in the whole world inside and out! Jordan is a very lucky guy (and you're quite a lucky girl to have him, too, I must say ;) ...definitely a match made in Heaven. ;)This was the first time I saw you after you got married. I was up at Nland for camp and you guys came over to the dining hall for one of your meals. It was so exciting to see your homey little apartment and spend time with you as my MARRIED sister! heehee! This was the opening activity my freshman year of college. I remember Laura and I were so excited but deep down I was so nervous, too! You and Jordan were always so nice to let us hang around with you! I was so thankful to have you there!My first artist series. Laura and I went together and we ended up sitting right next to Megan before we even had any idea she would end up being one of our best friends! :) It was so exciting during the intermission to go back and take the pictures by "the wall." Heehee! I remember thinking you and Jordan were so cute and I was so proud to be related to you! :)
You and Jordan were so good to us throughout our Nland college experience! We went down to your apartment countless times for Kampus Kids, Cuts, Parties, Overnights, Visits, Meals, Games, Halo ;) etc...And that was just on campus. You also drove us everywhere we ever went off campus for the most part (that makes us sound pretty pathetic - haha!) including church, walmart runs, out to eat, kampus kids activities, bowling, the demo derby and Norway fair, hikes by the falls and Jordan even put up with our picnics :) You guys really were like our parents and our home away from home. All the girls still ask about you all the time - we love you!What at first was one of my least favorite things I had to do while away at school, actually became something I looked forward to because you always made it into a special day. Every 3 months I had to go for what seemed to be a forever long injection of Remicade at the clinic. You always sat with me for those long at least 3 hours and kept me comany: talking, playing games with me, flipping through magazines and sharing what we found interesting, and you even made me personalized word search puzzles! (one of my favorite time killers!) heehee! I always appreciated your willingness to sit there with me cause I always had an oversized comfy hospital recliner or bed while you had a dinky little chair. Anyway, when that was over we would go to Applebees (remember the guy that wouldn't serve me mac & cheese? ...jerk! haha!) and then shopped till we dropped. Then we would stop for some Culvers ice cream on the way home. I actually even miss those days!My Nland college days were over, but I got to be up at Nland with you once again the summer I worked at camp. I was so thankful it worked out for me to be your assistant in the maintenance office during power jobs. My favorite part was our mail runs on the golf cart (especially when u let me drive it - heehee!) and our occasional dates when we had time. I always appreciated being able to share everything with you and know that you were praying for me.Here is a pic from when you and Jordan came to visit us all after camp and before college started up again. That was such a fun weekend!We got to enjoy some of your cooking!

I was always thankful (and so were the girls!) for an invitation from you and Jordan to join you for a meal when we were at Nland. The dining hall food doesn't quite cut it like home cooking does - and there's nothing like your cooking! MMMM!!! Thank you for all the special meals for kampus kids, birthday parties for me and my friends, holidays, mail packages, etc...those were the best! (and for letting us use your apartment for our thanksgiving and christmas dinners! O! AND for letting laura and I cook for you! Heehee! That was always fun!)There for my best friend's wedding.

Thank you for playing the piano, for taking all those pictures and for sharing your memories (even if it did require laura and I to perform our A-dink, A-dink handshake in front of the entire wedding party. haha!)It was so wonderful to have you and Jordan back with all of us cousins for Tim & Tiff's wedding this summer - it had been way too long! We all really missed having you guys in on our Gonigam get togethers for the past 3 years!Shopping with you this summer! Shopping with sisters is the best therapy in the midst of a busy life. :) It takes your mind off everything else and just allows for some fun girl time! Walking and talking, chatting over a wetzel pretzel, trying on things you can never afford, but that make you feel pretty........or trying on things you would never wear, but make you feel hippie. Haha!...doing things you would never do if you were all by yourself....

...being willing to take a picture 3 or more times for the sister who is having a fat day and doesn't like any of them. HAHA! Ahem! (Thank you for your patience ;)

Thank you for being there for me in the "sunshine..."
...and the "rain."
I love you SO much, Jenny! Thank you for the example you are to me. Thank you for who you are, for all you do and for all you've done! I am so thankful for all our fun memories and I look forward to all that we will get to do in the future. We still have so many fun parts of life ahead of us! I'm thankful we are still so close and that you still call me and we can talk on the phone for an hour or more and still say goodbye for at least 10 minutes. Heehee! I'm thankful we still like to laugh and have a good time, but that we also make time for heart to heart. I miss you and can't wait for you and Jordan to come visit us again! I love you, my little big sister! ;) xo