This is me with my sister, Catherine. These photos were taken two days before her twentieth birthday (celebrated this year) at Octave, her favorite restaurant (I think) in Chesterton, IN, the town where we did most of our growing up and where our parents still live. We've done a lot of growing up individually, taking different routes through our grade school and college years, but we've also done a lot of growing up together. We posses a mutual love of Calvin and Hobbes, Scrubs, and Ice Cream. We've learned how to share a room on family vacations and still could if necessary. We can quote nearly all of "Just Friends" together. And we hardly ever pass up an opportunity to ruin a photograph. If there's anyone I can call up for a quick update without worrying about pleasantries or time wasting, it's her. So that's what I did. Because I really wasn't pumped about having to interview someone for today's prompt (despite my obvious desire to be social), but I'm always pumped to spend time with her whether it be on the phone or in person.
Catherine is witty, much wittier than my "interview" will show. Her twitter profile exhibits this sense of humor quite wonderfully but also demonstrates her tendency to write vague, passive aggressive insults in response to the melodrama of her life. We all have our vices. She would waste no time in telling you mine. She wastes no time in telling me mine. It's one of the many things I love about her. If I'm doing something wrong, she'll tell me. And we'll laugh together about it.
This has been a year of transition for her as well. In January, she transferred from Loyola University in Chicago to Oklahoma University. In Norman, Oklahoma. Few people, if anyone, were wholeheartedly excited by the move, but she made it for reasons we all understood. Looking back on it now, it ended up being the right decision, and we're all very happy for her and proud of her. She noted in our conversation, however, that it wasn't the move itself that was a highlight, if not the highlight, of 2013. It was the moment when she finally felt settled there, when she finally felt like she could live so far away from home and flourish. That moment, according to her, took place the night she celebrated her acceptance into DSP, the university's business fraternity, with a hay ride to a large group bonfire in the middle of a field. That's Oklahoma for you...
Coming back to OU after summer break was another noteworthy experience on this year's timeline. A semester defined by increased involvement in both academics and extracurriculars and a narrowing of career paths began with an imperfect, yet gratifying reunion with her boyfriend whom she hadn't seen in over three months. She'd forgotten about a philanthropy event she signed up for and had to spend the evening volunteering and stressing out about how and when they'd be able to meet up. It was 2am when Brad (said boyfriend) met her under the fluorescent lights of a Target parking lot to pick her up from the event. Relationships are built on moments like that; broken ideals made whole by the simple joy of being in the same place for each other.
We talked about a few other memorable moments from this year (visiting me in Portland being among them), but I think I'm just going to leave it at. It's late, and I want to go to bed.
This post is part of Think Kit by Small Box
Today's post was: "Interview at least one other person about their favorite moments of the year"
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