Jillian

When I left for college Jilli was 10. Needless to say, we didn’t share clothes all that much. I mean, sure, I stole her socks all the time, but that was because Dad did her laundry so she always had more clean ones than I did.

Me and Jill, Senior Prom 2004

Now, Jillian is 16. With tons of clothes. I don’t even really pack when I go home for the weekends anymore. I just bring underwear and…maybe some jeans. And figure I will cobble together the rest out of Jill’s and Mom’s closets. It works well. Especially when you have your husband do all the packing on the way back and you end up with all new clothes that you didn’t technically steal. It was a mistake! A mistake I sure am going to wear until I see you next.

I am definitely wearing her shirt in this photo.

She has grown several inches, become much more top heavy (the hours I have spent bra shopping with this kid…), and somehow managed to tame her wild hair (mostly). At some point she got her braces off, broke her foot, and finally, pierced her ears this winter

Why did I worry so much about it hurting?

I love being back. She is practicing her makeup and hair skills on me, which is no mean feat considering our hair is as different as night and day.

Eye makeup, courtesy of Jill

Perhaps cosmotology in the future?

We have conversations about boys and jewelry and nail polish choices, but we also talk about what she wants to do after high school. I confide in her when I feel like I am drowning in law school and she assures me that I am one of the smartest people she knows. We talk about friend problems – which surprisingly enough for me, goes both ways. I walk a fine line between the super cool older sister and the responsible adult. All cool and we would both end up with nose rings and black hair. All responsibility and she would be like, We could hang out… but I’m gonna go pet the cat instead. I send her inappropriate texts, annoy her on facebook, and let her drive my car when no one is looking. I judiciously share my college experiences with her, hoping that she gets to have the same experiences some day.

I missed her terribly when I was gone, but I am amazed to return to California to find a lovely young woman where a child had been.

Gotta go peeps, I’m off to save the world!