Tracy Lee

Tracy Lee

Where do I even begin. For those of you who don't know...Tracy is my little sister. She turns 25 today. I seriously can not believe she is 25!? I am almost 5 years older than her. I remember the day she was born. I woke up, and my Grandma Jerry and Grandpa Carl were at my house. My parents were gone. When I came down stairs, my Grandma told me that they were at the hospital and that my little brother/sister would be coming soon. 

I was excited for the most part. She was cute and all. But now I had to share my attention. I may or may not have tried to cut her hair to make her look not so cute. Told her that the laundry shoot from the top floor down to the laundry room on the bottom floor of our house was a super fun ride that she should totally try. Maybe helped her reach it when she was ready to try it. You know, sisterly love type of things. Let me tell you one thing, that girl could always fend for her self. Any "fight" that we got in to, she pretty much won. We had to share a bedroom all the way up until I was 11. So, we had our moments. 

There are a few stories that I would like to share today, as I celebrate my sister. 

When Tracy was about 20 months old, we lived with my Grandma Jerry for a little while. My parents had bought an old farm house and were in the process of renovating it so we needed somewhere to live in the mean time. My Grandma and I shared a room, and one night we were both in bed reading. Tracy had come in the room and I remember wanting an apple. I am not sure if she offered or I asked, but Tracy went downstairs to get one for me. When she came back up, she came running down the hallway at full speed. Her shoe was untied, and she tripped and fell. My grandma had old, antique furniture all throughout her house, and her night stands had these really sharp hook like contraptions for drawer knobs. When my sister fell, she immediately started crying, and she didn't get up. I started to get out of bed to help her, and my mom came flying up the stairs. (She was down stairs in the kitchen talking with her best friend who had come to visit.) My mom got to her before I could, and she picked her up. There was blood EVERYWHERE. All over her head, all over the floor. There was so much blood you couldn't even tell where it was coming from. She rushed Tracy in the bathroom, and my Grandma brought her towels. They started to clean her up some to see where it was coming from and they really couldn't tell. Tracy quit crying, and was really quiet. My mom was really freaked out, and her best friend ended up driving them both to the hospital. My Grandmas stayed at the house with me, and I remember just crying to her and telling her it was my fault, that if I hadn't wanted that stupid apple, Tracy wouldn't be hurt. Tracy ended up cracking her forehead wide open. She had to have stitches, but other than that...she ended up being fine. To THIS DAY she blames me for it. Now my story is that mom always told her not to run in the house! 

I remember one time we were at WOW Outlets. This was a place in Greensburg, PA (where we are from.) I am not even sure if it still exists or not. It was this place that sold all sorts of stuff. They had a craft section there. There were Styrofoam half spheres in a huge wire bin. I reached down and grabbed 2 and put them together, and then I think I put one on my head or something to be silly. Tracy decided that she wanted to play with some, so she reached into the bin, and well the bin was very large and Tracy was pretty young...she sort of lost her balance and fell into the bin. After she "swam" in it for a minute trying to uncover herself from all the spheres...then she suddenly popped up and a 1/2 sphere was stuck on top of her head. It was hilarious. I just stood there and laughed and laughed and laughed. I couldn't even help her because I was laughing so hard. I think I finally calmed down a few minutes later and helped her out of the bin before we got in to any type of trouble. A smooth, graceful one she is. 

When I was in 5th grade, my dad had to work in Canada a lot. We all went with him on one of his trips for a vacation. My sister and I were bored a lot because we drove all the way up there from PA, and all the towns that we visited were a long car drive when we were there. We often found different games or contests to play with each other. One of them was running to open automatic doors, and seeing who could get there first. We were visiting the mall up there one day, and we were approaching the door. I noticed that it wasn't automatic, but Tracy started running. I played along, and started running and passed her. I then slowed down just a little and let her run in front of me. She got excited because she thought she was winning, and she ran even faster. Right in to the glass door. Fell flat on her ass. I could NOT stop laughing. It was really hilarious, it sounds mean...but um...it so wasn't! 

So, we established with the door story that Tracy may not be the smartest tool in the shed (I kid I kid, she actually used to be in gifted classes when she was younger.) When we lived in GA, we went to Stone Mountain a lot. If you have never been, or never heard of it, it is a really cool place to visit. It is a mountain made of granite, hence the name Stone Mtn. There is a Confederate Memorial Carving, with three confederate heroes engraved into the mountain, President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. One day, we were driving around as a family and my dad said something and said the word "forefathers." My sister chimes in, "Oh, is that the 4 dudes on Stone Mountain."  We all just busted out laughing. I was like ummm Tracy, first off there are 3 people on the mountain, and second. F-O-R-E-F-T-H-E-R-S not four fathers. The kid cracks me up! She was at least 8th or 9th grade when this happened. :) 

In all seriousness, without me getting too sappy....my sister is the most amazing person I know. There was a time (maybe from about when I was in late high school through mid college) when my sister and I did not get a long AT ALL. However, I am so thankful for the relationship I have with her now. Her and I are like night and day, but yet...she is my best friend. She is the most caring, giving person I know. She is the most amazing mom to her kids. She may be brutally honest and blunt, but she would give the shirt off her back and kick any one's ass who messes with someone she loves. She is beautiful on the inside and out. She is a much better person than I am. She has been through so much in her life, it amazes me every day that she is who she has become. I know that my nieces and nephews are going to be amazing people when they grow up because of her. She would do anything for those kids, and gives up so much for them. She may only be 25 years old, but she has dealt with more things than most people twice her age, or even in a lifetime.

Tracy, I love you. You are the most amazing person I know. I can't believe my "baby" sister is 25 today. You deserve happiness the size of this planet and I hope you know that!