Mija

As I was getting ready this morning, there was someone in particular on my mind: my sister, Mija. She's younger than me by 3 and 1/2 years, but wiser in so many ways. We have many of the same qualities, but exhibit them in different ways. She's better with money and friendships than I am, and while I'm type-A in a few select ways, she's type-A in just about every way. She's rational, thinking carefully about every move she makes, confident that every choice is the right one. She's patient and calm, yet always has to be doing something. For those of you who know about the marshmallow/patience test, she's a marshmallow saver, and I'm a marshmallow eater. She's silly though too: she uses Q-tips obsessively and talks to our parents' dog in grammatically incorrect third-person baby talk. We've had a rough relationship at times, but she's my sister and I love her dearly and we've gotten closer as we grow older.

She met a guy a while back and they started what has become a serious relationship. My parents and I like him, and he treats her very well. They have so many of the same interests and spend a lot of time being active outside together. When they met, he was finishing college, and he was offered a job with Microsoft in Seattle working on the Bing.com search engine. He left earlier this month, and Mija's plan was to move there in November, after my wedding. Earlier this week, she told me she wants to move August 23rd, the day after my shower, and she wants me to drive with her. Even though I've known for a while now that she'd be moving to be with Bing, the change in moving date took my by surprise.

I'm aware this post is premature: she's not leaving for almost a month, but she bought my ticket home from Seattle yesterday, so she's on my mind. My shower will now be even more meaningful for me, even though it'll be a little bittersweet. I'm looking forward to our road trip and the time we'll share. And really, I can't complain. I love Seattle, so I'm excited to get to visit.
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I'm insanely happy for my sister - she deserves a great guy like Bing - but I know now why my little sister sobbed when my family dropped me off at my dorm for my freshman year at NAU. I realized how much I'm going to miss her, and I thought I had an extra few months to prepare myself. I know I'll still see her and talk to her as she'll be back for the wedding (and did I mention I get to visit her in Seattle?), but knowing that she and her half eaten bananas won't be around when I visit our parents makes my heart ache a little. I know she's making the right choice for her, and yet there's the part of me that wants a guarantee for my little sister that everything's going to be perfect. For the first time in our adult lives, I feel like the big sister, worried and wanting the best for her as she really goes out into the world for the first time. But I find comfort in knowing that she'll be well taken care of. I just hope Bing knows to keep well stocked with Q-tips.