I have another sister...

...who doesen't have in-law issues *yet*. But she will. She called me tonight to let me know she and her boyfriend have gotten engaged! Woo Hoo!!! I'm so happy for them! He just walked in on Friday morning while she was blow-drying her hair to get ready for work and asked her then. (Awww....) Her ring is a family heirloom from his family. (Awwww.... again!)

This is actually my baby sister's 2nd engagement. She was engaged to another guy a few years back, but broke it off a couple years ago. At first, we were all so sad because we liked that guy so much. Then she started seeing the guy who is her current fiance and we were all a little cautious because he was so different from the first guy and worried that maybe she was just on a rebound. But as time went by and we learned more and more hidden info about the first guy, we liked him less and as we learned more and more about the second guy, we liked him more and more.

This sister of mine is 10½ years younger than I am. She is the one human being on the planet that can make me feel old. (So far, Frodo doesn't make me feel old. Maybe because he's only 8½.) I remember holding her as a newborn infant, changing her diaper, playing with her. I remember the fact that she missed her first day of kindergarten due to chicken pox. I remember playing pictionary with her and a friend of hers when they were only about 8 and they were so enamored with my boyfriend's drawing abilities they just put the game aside and kept asking him to draw things. (And he did. He's now my hubby.) I remember when my parents divorced when I was 22 and she was only 11 - how I felt such relief that my parents finally separated and I'm pretty certain she did too. I remember being the first person to take her driving after she got her driving permit and she never braked for that first corner she took. (Eek!!) I remember her high school graduation and I had her party at my house since my mom's apartment was too small. And I remember some of her friends coming in for the party and saying something to my baby sis and some other classmates about so-and-so having a party and "they had beer!" And at the time, there were three off-duty cops in the room, lol. (My hubby and two other friends.) I'll never forget how embarrassed they were!

My baby sister and I never had a lot chances to get really close due to our huge age spread. By the time she was old enough to remember doing things with me, I was at a point in life where I was hanging out with friends a lot and starting high school and getting a part-time job and doing extra-curricular activities. But now we spend a little time on the phone every now and then, venting about our drunk dad and our ditzy other sister. She tells me she will soon be getting internet access at her home (you'd think they live in the middle of nowhere since they don't have internet yet!) so hopefully by the beauty of email we can get to know each other more.

Now, she and her fiance are trying to figure out how to pay for a wedding. She can't count on our parents much since our drunk dad hasn't had a job for over 3 years now, and mom is sort of "retired" so has very little income. So she's in a situation not to dissimilar from my own when I got engaged and paid for my own wedding. She's looking for inexpensive wedding ideas that don't involve flying out to Vegas. She wants a little outdoor wedding and a little reception and dance. She's going to make her own invitations. Her future mother-in-law will make a cake. Our mom will make her a dress. So far, so good. Anyone have suggestions for a cheap reception?

I'm so excited for her!!!