To my little, taller, cooler, smarter, beautiful(ler), funnier sister on her sweet sixteen:

I wanted you bad. I wanted you so bad, I prayed for a girl. I wanted to share my room with you. I wanted to brush your hair and dance to my trashy boy band music with you. I wanted to read books to you and teach you all the important things I knew like how to ride a bike, braid hair, make cinnamon sugar, and all of the Usher songs. Seven years of my life were spent in constant battle, defending myself from the two monsters. Barbies heads were decapitated. Necklaces and pinky toes were broken. My body was always tackled, tied down, and contorted. They never did weary. Finally, when all hope was lost, my prayers were answered in January of '98.

The picture above was taken a couple days after you were born. Our parents told me I could hold you so long as I didn't stand up. I agreed, but grew tired after an hour or so. Meanwhile, everyone left the room and I was afraid to shout so this is what happened.

So, back to my infamous list-making. I already made two lists for both of my brothers. Now here is a list of some of my favorite stories/things about Jory, my little, taller, cooler, smarter, beautiful(ler), funnier sister:

-Jory, as a toddler, could throw down a stick of butter like no one I've ever known. When she went missing in the house, she was probably eating butter in a corner or some of those chocolate morsels. But, she was no respecter of foodstuffs. She enjoyed all food equally.

-She was the cutest baby. SO fat, on account of her butter diet. Everyone loved her immediately and wanted to hold her and pinch her cheeks. But Jory would not go down without a fight. You see, she also suffered from Resting Bitch Face (RBF) as a toddler. (It's rare to suffer from RBF at that age, but it does happen. RBF is now an established medical term.) She could frown all the old ladies away at the grocery store, smiling for no one.

-It took a lot for Jory to like you. In fact, I only remember her instantly gravitating towards one person (besides our immediate family) and that was Jovita. Lucky, she has grown out of RBF, at least for the most part.

-Jory is so beautiful. My dad wanted us kids to take a picture with him on his birthday after we ate so everyone got ready. Jory woke up feeling sick, got dressed in a barn shirt, teased her dreads, pinned her hair to the side, decided against makeup, and vwallah. Done. How many girls do you know who get pictures taken without makeup? The answer is none. And this is how she looked (first picture):

Like SNOW WHITE, am I right?! I've always loved how she looks. Ivory skin. Dark hair. Green eyes. Flawless. Well done, Amy and Matthew. Well done. 

-Jory does NOT like to share toothbrushes so don't even try it. 

-When Jory got strong enough to walk and lift herself up, she used to climb out of her crib, still sucking on a binkie, up onto my loft bed in the middle of the night. I never did tell my parents because I loved it so much.

-Somewhere in between me leaving for school and graduating, Jory got funny. It's probably because someone had to fill the void of my comedic genius that I so reluctantly left behind. I would say we're about equal in funny points, except now she is really good at quoting movies whereas I'm not. And it's mostly funny. She may have passed me this time.

-Jory went through a phase where she would not answer unless we addressed her as princess. She was 15.

(Just kidding. She was a toddler/post-toddler).

-I'm going to paint a scene for my next bullet-point. Imagine this square face with big green squinty eyes sucking on a pacifier peering over your loft bed in excitement amidst a ransacked room.

So, one time I got grounded on my birthday weekend and had to postpone my birthday party (another story for later). Months passed and I assumed that the party was no longer an option. One night in April, I went to a neighbor's house to babysit. My mom insisted that I clean my room, so I did. And I cleaned it goooood. Spick. And. Span, ya'll.  I came home that night to a trashed room and Jory looking down at me with pure joy as she anticipated my arrival.

I yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Then, all my friends jumped up from underneath piles of clothes and blankets and out of the closet and yelled, "SURPRISE!!!!." Jory's face fell from excitement to disappointment as she began to tear up.

I felt so bad. This among a list of other short-tempered, impatient happenings is one of my biggest regrets in life along. Apparently, we used to pull each other's hair. I don't remember it, but I also don't doubt it. Patience was never one of my strengths. I will spend the entirety of my life striving to show you the love that you deserve.

-Patience has always been one of Jory's strengths though. She is the best older sister to our youngest sister, Jacy. She is so kind and she allows Jacy to be a kid. She never loses her patience with her. I love watching them play. They're weird, but I like it. I've learned a lot from her in this regard. She's who I want to be when I grow up.

-When Jory was little, she was so afraid of our brothers (and rightfully so). One time, I was sitting in my room and she came running panicked. She ran into the wall, fell, got up, continued to run, and leapt into my arms. Soon after, Jess came running into the room, ran into the same spot of the wall, fell, got up, and continued to run towards us. Jayk came sprinting after, hit the wall in the exact same spot and got up towards us. It was like a Tom and Jerry episode. So glad I was deemed worthy enough to witness that. It is forever engrained in my mind.

-When I showed her some bridesmaid dresses, she said, "I guess I'll have to shave my legs, huh."

-Jory is musically talented. She plays the standup bass, electric bass, guitar, and uke. She's in a couple bands and they have gigs on the weekends. On Christmas Eve, she sang and played the uke, tambourine, and shaker at the same time. Every time I see a she-bass player, I get excited because they remind of my sister.

-Jory has always been naturally gifted at school, moreso than any of us Cherry kids. She's so smart. From the time she began to read, she always had her nose stuck in a book. Girlfriend reads a ton.

-Jory can win an entire Just Dance tournament without moving her hips once. It's amazing.  

-Along with her being gifted with music, school, and life in general, she is an amazing artist. When we were all little, my dad tried his damndest to instill his creativity in us. It passed right over my head, which soon became clear to my dad when he told me to draw a picture of a rabbit and I drew him a cartoon one that could probably also pass for a dog, cat, rabbit, some sort of vermin, or doorknob.

It sorta worked with the boys. They're creative enough. They threw pottery and drew things, but mostly they're artsy in the musical kind of way. With Jory, it was naturally easy for her. She can see colors and shapes and other things and she can draw them. She leaves her sketch books around and I love looking at the drawings inside them. It's cool to glance into her mind. She's quiet, but a lot is going on up there.

-Jory is no one but herself. She listens to Janis and other rocker chick music. She walks slow where ever she goes. She's nice to everyone. She doesn't judge others. She takes hour long showers. She defends the helpless. She teases her hair. She never tries to conform to what society says she should do or how she should act or what she should be interested in. She wears combat boots with dresses.

I'm glad I live closer to you now. Those four years were way too long. #eastcoast4ever

I consider myself lucky because I got to watch you grow into who you are. And I LOVE who you are. I love every thing about you. I think you're brave and true and honest and smart and kind. And I will always be your greatest defender. I'm excited to see where you go and what you do in life.

And mostly, I'm so glad you're my sister.