Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of.
You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li
It's the day after Christmas and the gifts of giving keep coming! Rachael, Natalie and I met up in Simi Valley and went to lunch. Rachael and Natalie met at the University of Hawaii Manoa 7 years ago, and have been best friends ever since. Even though Rachael and I are "natural" sisters, Natalie has filled the role as my second big sister and I completely adore her!
Rach and I drove to Natalie's grandmother's house, where she was staying during her visit for the holidays. We went inside, I met her adorably sweet grandmother for the first time, and we all sat and talked for quite awhile. For the first time since meeting Natalie, I got to see pictures and hear stories of her childhood and extended family. There was such an apparent sense of warmth and love it was almost tangibly encompassing. Rachael and I fawned over a photo album Natalie's grandmother lovingly flipped through, reliving the moments of her children's and grand children's youth.
Rach and I drove to Natalie's grandmother's house, where she was staying during her visit for the holidays. We went inside, I met her adorably sweet grandmother for the first time, and we all sat and talked for quite awhile. For the first time since meeting Natalie, I got to see pictures and hear stories of her childhood and extended family. There was such an apparent sense of warmth and love it was almost tangibly encompassing. Rachael and I fawned over a photo album Natalie's grandmother lovingly flipped through, reliving the moments of her children's and grand children's youth.
Rachael, Natalie and I then headed to the natural cafe for lunch and ended up spending the next few hours catching up, opening gifts, and listening to stories of their rebellious college days. One of my favorite stories being the night they all got extremely drunk and in a daze, Natalie suddenly jumped up to dance and ended up breaking her foot in the process. Then, in her intoxicated state adamantly refusing to go the ER drunk, and limping to Rachael's room to pass out on the bed until the morning. After several hours of hearing similar tales, we finally stretched our legs and headed toward the car, stopping first to take some awkward family photos in front of a Christmas tree in the square, one of which is one of my photos of the day. Also, next to this photo is an awesome present given to both Rachael and me from Natalie; a homemade gift of our favorite stop-motion animation, "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On." A gift I'll cherish forever and the spark of a new photo series I'm excited to start: Travels with Marcel.
Natalie currently lives back in Oahu, Hawaii with her boyfriend Ben, so the precious times the three of us get to spend time together always fills me with joy and reminds me that you can't always choose your family, but you can choose your friends...who may become like family! I love my sisters and the time I got to spend with them this holiday season.
<3 Michele
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