To Dakota.

To my sister, who loves to come to my house and hang out with her nieces;

To my sister, who would rather spend a weekend at our house helping me bake and "be a mom" than hang out with the other 20 year olds who went partying;

To my sister, who my girls love being goofy with;

To my sister, who loves leading everyone into goofiness;

To my sister, who has overcome many obstacles this year and is a stronger woman for them;

To my sister, who handles obstacles with a grace, class, and maturity beyond her 20 years;

To my sister, who seized the day, saved her money and flew to Europe to explore the world;

To my sister, who took the best photo of herself in front of the Eiffel Tower....just gorgeous!

To my sister, who grew up 8 years behind me but has put so much effort into making up for lost time;

To my sister, who is now one of my closest friends;

Grainy night time photo taken with our phones the night before she left for Europe :)

To you, Dakota, as you turn 21 today, I say

Happy Birthday!