I am the baby; she is the oldest. We have 2 brothers in between. She is 6 years older than me, so naturally, she looked after me.
Here she is, wiping my drool, (or so I thought for all these years, until I looked more closely and I think she was probably reaching out to the cat in my lap):
Here we are in the glory of the 70s:
And at her high school graduation:
And then we entered adulthood and marriage and jobs and raising children and came together and fell apart and came together again. One thing has remained constant: she is my protector, my cheerleader, my guide in so many ways. She's the smart one. She's the bossy one. She's the wise one.
And so for her 60th birthday this summer, she threw a party, and all 4 of us siblings were together for it. The 1st time we were all together since our mom died. So it was extra special, given that the last 2 years were ones of uncertainty about anything.
I had bought the Mountain High quilt kit from Stitch in Durango, CO - LeeAnn, the owner, is a friend of mine and her shop received the Top Shop Award for Quilt Sampler:
LeeAnn's quilt made the cover of the magazine, and it made me swoon. I bought the kit (this was April 2021), and started to chip away at it. It was still an immensely busy and stressful time for me at Hip Stitch, but working on this project soothed my stressful days.
It wasn't intended for Gretchen from the start. I didn't know who or where it was going.
(If you know me, my gift giving and remembering special days are hit and miss.
It's not one of my prouder characteristics.)
But as it evolved in the making, the clarity in the recipient came into focus. Gretchen has lived in Denver for 30 years, but for a stint in Seattle. She is a mountain girl - she's fit, and healthy, and hikes and skis and does so many more outdoorsey things than I do (not jealous, not at all)
Mountain High came together, and of COURSE it was for Gretchen. That's a no-brainer.
Happy Birthday, big sister. I love you.
She sent me a picture of it in her house, with the red leaves on the maple tree right outside the window:
