She Will Be Your Best Friend One Day

"Ashley, she will be your best friend one day," my Grandma always told me growing up. "I know you can't stand each other now, but I promise you she will."

"Yeah right," I would say back. "She is mean and we don't have anything in common."

It was an easy reply when you were mad. Growing up, it was easy to butt heads with my sister, Sarah. We were so close in age, so we had to share EVERYTHING. Looking back, we were lucky. But we were kids who hated sharing a room, birthday parties, and friends. But looking back again, I had some of the best times of my life with my sister.

Sarah and I are opposite people. She is shy and quiet. She soaks in more than she lets out. But I am outgoing and shy, refusing to know a stranger. I let everything out and soak in some.

Sarah was actually MY body guard growing up. Mom always tells us a story about how a girl pushed me down the stairs when we lived in South Carolina, so Sarah chased the girl all the way back to her house yelling, "GO HOME BRITTNEY!"

Another time we were at the beach and a seagull stole my Cheetos, so Sarah took off running down the beach after the seagull.

She was my little fighter. And still is...

I am getting married in 22 days, and my maid of honor is my sister. I can't imagine having anyone else stand RIGHT next to me when I marry Justin, my other best friend. In fact, I am very excited to have ALL my sisters stand up there with me, both Cierra and Brittany.

Sarah is the person who fought me for all these years. The girl I climbed into bed with when I was scared or losing hope. The girl I made silly homemade movies with growing up. Of course, I was the lead actress and she was director, but that fit our personalities perfectly. She was the girl I would ride bikes with all around town, exploring trails and hidden treasures of Decatur. She is the girl who I went to the pool with every single summer growing up, forgetting to wear sunscreen or take a break to eat! She is the one who always sneaked to look at the Christmas presents so she could tell me what we, she, or I got. She is the girl who brought the two most beautiful boys in this world that I know, Braxen and Landen. Most importantly, she is my sister. A friend to the end.

So my Grandma Kaye was right. She is my best friend. She always was my best friend....

Much love,

Ashley