Special Day!

Every so often (or maybe more often than not?), my sister's birthday lands on the first day of fall. I think that's why it's her favorite season. I love birthdays, and it just makes today all the jollier! 

R is my only family member who also blogs, so she gets special treatment here sometimes, with links and  mentions. :) Plus, she's a devoted reader/commenter and is usually one of the first to comment on each post I write. Thank you, R!!

Here are some more facts/reminders about R, as they come to mind.

• She lives in the Albuquerque, NM area with her husband and five kids.
• All of her kids are adopted from the foster system.
• Her favorite color is blue.
• She likes road trips and has been on several throughout the US.
• She lived in New Hampshire before she moved to New Mexico, and grew up in California (and Nevada).
• She once spent a summer living in Hawaii with my uncle and his family.
• We went to the same high school for one year when she was a senior and I was a freshman.
• Yes, she was willing to give me rides to and from school, but no, she wasn't always prompt or excited about it. :P
• She got me involved in the drama club in high school, and she won Best Leading Actress for playing Miss Brooks in Our Miss Brooks.
• She used to collect giraffes, and tends to still get them as gifts. Not usually real ones, though.
• She prefers to call fall "autumn" instead.
• She homeschools her five kids (while also caring for 1-4 nieces, depending on the day and time).
• Her blog talks a lot about homeschooling and offers some good links and tips and experiences, for those of you interested!
• She played trombone in jr. high (I think?).
• Also, she could play Go Tell it on the Mountain on the autoharp when we were kids. :D 
• She has always been interested in writing, and used to write stories that she'd read to my younger sister and me. We would often laugh and make fun of different sections, because we're awesome sisters. I still laugh thinking about certain parts, though (like when the armless boy "footed" his sister the remote control). But seriously, the fact that she came up with full stories and wrote them out as a kid is pretty impressive, considering I can't come up with a full story idea even now.
• R and I have worked at the same place twice. First at her in-laws' restaurant, and later at a university.
• Growing up, my sisters and I played lots of games, and R and I still play some games whenever we see each other. Usually Scrabble, Yahtzee or Scattergories.
• She loves blog readers, so head over there. :)
• She's a great sister and cares a lot for her two younger sisters! 

Have a great day, R! See you in two weeks. :)