Goode to Me: Aunt Lou

Turns out when you blog, folks begin asking if you are gonna blog about them.  Case in point... Sister Sara otherwise known as Aunt Lou.  Aunt Lou was a sitter for me last weekend while I took my tutued husband to the Halloween party.  (If you don't understand that last sentence, see my previous post Tutus Large and Small , I don't have the energy to explain why he was wearing a Tutu or how it was ok or how it is still REALLY weird to think about or... you get the point)

Anyhow, so Aunt Lou was a sitter for us (not to mention Mikey's make-up artist that night) and so therefore, I owe her a blog.  So here's to you my little Lou, Lou.

My sister's real name is Sara... no "h".  Truth be told mama had something against "h"s  hence my name is Cris not Chris...

Random thing my sister does: Even though I go by Cris, she always spells it Criss--on purpose. That would be because she insists on spelling it the same way my grandfather spelled his name.  I tell ya, these Benefiel women and their stubborn spellings.

Ya may have caught on that we all call her Lou.  Why? Because that is her name... legal name? No.  But it is her name.  We have called her that as long as I can remember.

Addie calls her Sara, Sara Lou, Lou Sara or Lou.  Even the two year old has caught on to the fact that either name will suffice and Lou is preferred... so keep up ...lol!

Lou will always be my little sister. 

Ahh, how sweet right?  What you DON'T see are the clumps of hair she pulled out of my head as I was told to sit still and be good.  Babies of the family, always getting away with murder.

As you can see I wised up here and didn't turn my back on the lil hair puller...lol

This is my favorite pic of us as kids.... a total big sis/lil sis moment

My sis is a special gal.  It has been a pleasure watching her grow into the woman she is today.  She is strong yet kind-hearted. She is free-spirited yet grounded. She is smart yet willing to remain a child at heart.

Note: Poor child to the left... I really think she flung him out of the way.

Truth be told we are very different in many ways.  Even as kids she would run to the edge of a cliff while I would white knuckle the guard rail 10 feet from the edge.  She has never met a stranger and I take a lot of warming up. She would throw a flip, tuck or other acrobatic feat while I would sit and contemplate just how risky that was. She puts up with a lot of things I wouldn't.  But I don't tolerate a lot of things that she is kind- hearted enough to see through. She is approachable. I am protected. 

Many times, she is what brings me back to love. 

God has often used her to renew and shape my faith.

As different as we are, we are defintely still cut from the same cloth.  We both have our Daddy's frankness and our Mama's attention to thoughtful detail. We both are super protective of our family. We both get spittin' mad when someone isn't treated with respect.  We both LOVE Mama's yeast rolls.

Perhaps one of my greater joys is watching her experience Aunthood with little Add.  She relishes in the role and is amazing at it.  Addie is so lucky to have Aunt Lou.

Ultimately, I am blessed to call her Sara Lou Lou Sister Friend.

Thank you for being you Lou.