Remember Chicago

Why am I living so far away from my sister? It's so not right. Being with her--just the being, the existing in the same space--reminds me of all the reasons why I miss her.

Nobody knows you like your sister.

I told her tonight that instead of "remember the Alamo" I'm going to start saying "remember Chicago."

It's not just the city, of course--although the city is absolutely gorgeous!

It's what Chicago represents. Chicago means my sister. And my brother in law. And my nieces and nephew.

Chicago means family. And as you know, I'm a relationship-driven person. I stand or fall based on the health of my primary relationships.

Having my sister live 2,000 miles away has been an incredible loss for me.

My sister lived through the hell that was my fundamentalist upbringing. Which is to say, she knows my sh--stuff.

And she loves me still the same.

 

Nobody laughs at my jokes quite like my sister. My sister laughs uproariously and unabashedly at my quirkiness. We can mess around (like the pic above--making faces in the "silver bean" sculpture at Millennium Park) and laugh like crazy hyenas and really NOT care who is around.

My sister is a wonderful mother. I admire her so much. I thought my children were well-behaved. Until we sat down for dinner last night and her children ate vegetable stew and salad without one complaint. My kids howl over their veggies. Her kids just pound 'em down.

My sister is taller than me. She also has longer arms. So, she was in charge of all our self-portraits. I think she did a great job, don't you?

 

Tonight we went up to the 96th floor of the Hancock building. We had a couple drinks and talked about old times. We laughed, shared stories and marveled at the incredible Chicago skyline. Then we came home and settled down on her couch with our matching laptops.

We tried to decide on which music to play.

She likes musicals and I prefer R&B. She likes Death Cab for Cutie and I prefer Alicia Keyes. She likes indie movies and I like romantic comedies. She voted Democrat and I voted Republican.

She thinks I sing off-key and I think she's crazy.

She thought Ewan McGregor was hot in Moulin Rouge. I thought it was hot when Andre Ethier hit a home-run.

We do agree on Coldplay.

But at the end of the day, love surpasses any and all differences. We hate living so far apart. I'm going to pretend that I don't have to go home on Monday.

I'm going to live in the moment and soak up each precious day with her.

I'm going to remember Chicago.

Comments

[Kimberly]

Sisters are the most precious gift. Mine is only 5 hours away and it's like trying to live without my right arm! Glad you are getting to spend time with her.

[DebbieQ]

Lovely.

[50s Housewife]

How wonderful! You are both adorable!

[JoAnn]

hey, be prepared. My 1st day home was like the scab being ripped off and I had the just-under-the-surface heaving, ugly sobs bubbling all day long till they finally burst like a volcano. Drew thought it should hurt less since the visit was so fresh...but I thought it hurt more, remembering how long it had been, how much I missed them. don't be surprised if Sunday and Monday just plain suck. Maybe we'll go back together next time! ;)

[Melissa]

Ugh. I know what you mean. My sister who lived through our crazy upbringing together and "gets me" and is my best friend in the world lives 17 hours away (also in chicago strangly enough) and I miss her like crazy. I miss sharing dreams and hanging out, she makes me laugh and she is the absolutly only one I can shop with. She came up to see me a few weeks ago and we both cried when she had to go back. Only in my case I'm the one who had to move away, and I'm counting the days until I can move back.

[Kacie]

I think I like your sister, and I do love Chicago too!

[Heidi Jo]

what a blessing. yet another reason i'm so blessed with my large family. they have eachother in this crazy world. and nothing else we could buy them or give them could compare with that.

so happy for you two. i wonder if i'm still more like you....or her.

[Reid Klos]

Elizabeth,
You have single-handedly prodded me to make sure I get to South Alabama to see my family (Mom, sister and nephews). Although I may not have quite the ball you had, I know I will enjoy it.
Being the "Big Brother" with 10 yrs difference between us, my sister has seen every up and down in my life. Within the past couple of years she has been able to vocalize her perception of our relationship and how she always felt abandoned when I would move out.
Now I help her try to sort her life out and she keeps me up-to-date on the world through a 21 yo's eyes.
I'm laughing now because I just thought of the last time I visited her. Her tire blew out on a back country road one night. We drove out the next morning to fix the tire (it took us about 1 1/2 hrs, you guessed it i'm not very mechanical). While we were on the rd we did an impromptu photoshoot with her posing with the tire, acting like a hitchiker...just insanity.
Okay, this is supposed to be a comment not a blog post, right? *smiles* Thanks Elizabeth for getting the memories flowing.

[Lacinda]

I love this post. My sister is my best friend ever. There's something so special about that family bond--sharing the quirkiness of you upbrining, having a lifetime of inside jokes, being able to finish each other's sentences . . . Sisters are a tremendous blessing and gift.