My talented big sister Tina

Nov. 25th is my sister Tina's birthday. She is on the right in the first picture and the left on the next one. This is not too long after she became a "big sister" and she has always been a good one. She reportedly taught me how to play dolls, and I know she liked to play school with me and be the teacher during a lot of summer days. She has been a friend throughout the years and has helped me in more ways than she probably realizes.

This is Tina and one of my Grandmas. This is the grandma that we were fortunate enough to get to see a little more often and she was a talented woman. At the last family gathering we were talking about how much Tina is like her. They both are good at cooking / baking, they both sew very well, and maybe it's because Tina is so much like this Grandma that I think she would have managed to be a good pioneer, unlike me, I think I would have cried myself all the way across the country. Hmm, maybe some good pioneers cried themselves across the country though -- who knows?

During our growing up years we moved a number of times. The picture above isn't terrific but it was taken right before we moved away from Missouri and to Colorado and showed us leaning on one another. Here we went again and I think the only thing that made moving tolerable was to have such a good family. My brothers and sisters -- including Tina -- were my friends so we didn't have to start from scratch every time.

I tried to find a picture of Tina with a camera to her face but I didn't have enough time. I think I have several. We both had cameras and used to have camera wars -- trying to catch the other person on film. I look back now and think it was an interesting use of expensive film -- but we did have a good time and I guess that counts.

Christmas was always a season to look forward to and a day to be planned for with excitement at our house. I think Tina was a good part of this as she organized us younger children to plan programs and she snuck around on Christmas Eve with us. She was a bit of a tyrant about the presents under the tree. Only she could arrange them artistically enough to suit her!

Tina got married while I was in college and I didn't get to go out for the wedding though I did go to her second reception in CO. I remember waking up and thinking -- "wow, my sister is getting married today". She married Christopher who she had dated since she was 16 -- with a break while he served a mission to Japan. They are now the parents of 8 wonderful children. In the picture above she only had 3 children and her husband is the hairy one. This is Tia's blessing picture and I remember that when Tia was in the hospital my kind hearted sisters came up to see her and cried to find her hooked up to an i.v.. Tina has always been helpful to me. She helped me learn to can peaches, she talks to me when I need a friend, and she and Chris have always been very welcoming. We used to go to their house every weekend to watch Star Trek when they lived closer. I think she has cooked for me more than anyone else -- well except her own family! I know she rescued me in college from eating noodles and salt when the food supply and the money supply were both low.

Our last babies were born the same day. Dan was first and Caleb later. Tina has the oldest and the youngest grandchild on my side of the family and does an excellent job homeschooling her children, teaching them, and loving them. There are so many things I could say and so many pictures, including some pretty funny morning ones that I could post but I guess I'll save some for another year. I love Tina. I could not have asked for a better big sister.