We're All Together Sisters

I think I've mentioned before on this blog that I have four brothers and no sisters. The topic of sisterhood has been mentioned before too (in fact, I had to search the blog to make sure I hadn't written this same post a couple of years ago - I hadn't, but Lindsey had written something with a similar idea using the same source for her title).

Don't get me wrong. I really love my brothers. I love my sisters-in-law too, and I love building my relationships with both. Having sisters-in-law was a great way for me to start experiencing what it's like to have sisters, and I think that relationship became especially good when I started having kids (most of my brothers' wives had kids before I did because my brothers are older than I am) and we could compare notes and triumphs and frustrations on that front.

This is all but one of my sisters-in-law - oddly enough, the one who is missing might be the one I talk to the most.

But finding that sisterhood could extend beyond blood relationships happened before I had lawful sisters. For example, when I was maybe 10, I formed a club with some neighbors that we called the Treetop Monkeys (I think because we climbed the tree in my front yard and used it as a sort of clubhouse). Behold:

I'm the one on the right. I am ROCKING those glasses. 

In high school, I found a group of awesome girls to have awesome movie nights with. They taught me to make caramel popcorn, we had adventures almost toilet-papering our friends' houses, we went to football games together and they stayed my friends even though I talked them into watching Lawrence of Arabia.

Point of interest: Only day of high school I didn't have crazy bangs. They loved me anyway.

My first year of college was a total revelation to me. Having a roommate to share a room with made me feel like I was making up for all of those years without a sister. We stayed up late talking about classes and boys and life choices, and it was amazing. They taught me how to do my makeup a little more effectively, they brought home ice cream when I was sad. I even let one of them cut my hair multiple times, and she wasn't going to school for that. 

I think this was the last haircut. 

Then there was the dream apartment. Miri and I had become good friends over our first semester living together, so much so that we celebrated the anniversary of our friendship (we have a meet cute and everything) for the next few years that we lived together. But we weren't great friends with our other roommates, and the girls downstairs, whom we adored, had some roommates moving out. Miri and I basically proposed to them to get them to let us move in, and then we proceeded to have more fun that we'd ever had in college. Lindsey lived across the hall and was in and out of the apartment constantly (she took the picture below), and our apartment was always full of people and games and laughter. We really loved each other, and I think it was clear to everyone who came into our apartment that we had great relationships with each other - with the occasional sisterly tiff over whose turn it was to do the dishes.

They loved me, but not enough to let me take up the whole couch.

I am only slightly embarrassed to tell you that a year later, I took some of these ladies with me to a Twilight event in Arizona for a weekend roadtrip. Also that the event was prom-themed. We called it the Adventures of Team Estrogen and it was the most fun you could have in Arizona with a bunch of crazed teenage vampire fans.

I never wore gloves to a real prom, but you better believe I did to this one. 

At some point, I think I stopped being the baby sister roommate who just went along with everything and started instigating the ridiculousness. In our next apartment, I think we dressed up about once a month for one reason or another. Halloween parties and 80s night at a friend's house were acceptable, but then we decided to dress up like superheroes and go to classic skating for a girls' night out. I don't remember the reasoning behind it, but I can tell you that it was pretty incredible.

Evidence. 

 I went to England shortly before graduation and found sisters there:

Who knew Winston Churchill's house was so epic?

I added more roommates after graduation and the awesomeness continued:

I moved to Indiana and found them there:

An affinity for libraries and dressing up made us kindred spirits.

 I even moved to Texas and found sisters there, even though some of them were 20 years older than me and didn't speak English.

We decided to scare the campers at Girls Camp by wearing someone's face mask and towels. Best ghost costume ever.

I feel really lucky that even though I didn't have any biological sisters, I have picked them up along the way everywhere I go.