Do you know what I was doing at this exact moment 21 years ago? Believe it or not, I do. I was 5-years-old, and my big brother Greg decided to be super cool, and take his little sister camping. Given, we only went as far as the driveway, but he was so great, he set up our pop-up trailer for us, and we had a good old fashioned camp-out. He stayed with me, and when I couldn't sleep alone, he joined me in the back bed, so I wouldn't be scared. But as great as the sleeping outside with my cool brother thing was, the best part of the whole event actually happened in the morning. Bright and early, we were woken up by my dad, and I still remember his exact words..."You have a new baby sister!" I imagine that Greg probably knew that Dad had come over in the middle of the night to get Mom, and bring her to the hospital, but I was fast asleep, completely unaware that while I dozed, I was about to get the ultimate dream of every five-year-old little girl...a baby sister of her very own! Little La...born on June 7, 1984, exactly three months before my 6th birthday, weighing exactly what I had weighed at birth (7 lb 13 oz, if I recall...Mom?) later that evening, we got to go to visit, and honestly, I don't remember anything about Laurie, but I can still see my Mom when I first walked in, wearing her lavender nightgown, looking beautiful.
The following day, we picked up Mom and Laur at the hospital, and went straight to the Heick's. Just recently I pulled out a photo from that day, a picture of me holding Laurie for the very first time, grinning ear to ear.
So, now here it is, a mere 30 minutes away from the time she would joyously scream to the world that she was a year older. So would end the week long countdown of phone calls..."seven days until my birthday...six days until my birthday...five days, etc." In a half-hour, she'd be 21, and we'd have quite a day, with her friends and family gathered round to celebrate. We had planned to get all her friends together to hit Wrigleyville, for her first visit to the depths of the Cubbie Bear, her first legal Old Style, her first chance to have some bouncer squint at her ID, and smile when he noticed the date...but it is just not going to be.

Instead, we'll journey to the Lake tomorrow, to bring flowers. We'll take time out of our day to buy a cup of coffee and a sandwich for someone who might need it. We'll stop to thank someone we don't really know for their hard work at the daily grind. We'll sing happy birthday really loud in our cars, and I'll sit in the bleachers, I'll breathe in Wrigley, and I'll thank Laurie for 7,574 days of the best gift a big sister could ask for...Happy Birthday, Laur.