Happy Birthday, Sis!

It's my sister's birthday today and since it would not be so nice to reveal her age, I will point out she is 12 years younger than me (and always will be).

That's Danielle on a recent ride with her son, Harmon.  She and her husband Jonathan, have an older daughter Marta as well.

This 12 year gap is kind of a Mossner "thing."

My Dad's older brother, Gene, was 12 years older than him.

My Dad is 24 years older than me.  I'm 12 years older than Danielle.  I'm 24 years older than son, Matthew (Danielle is 12 years older than him).  And, to top it all off, Matthew was born on Uncle Gene's birthday - exactly 60 years apart.

None of this was intentional (as far as I know), just one of those family oddities, I guess.  We do have a picture of the five of us together to celebrate that cycle of 12 thing.

So, I was 12 when Danielle came along.  While I had older foster sisters, this was a different deal altogether.

During high school, I learned that having my sister in a stroller and taking her on a walk was a good way to meet girls my age.  I would babysit on occasion and read to her and stuff.

When I left for Drake she was 5 going on 6.  She was 11 the day of my wedding.

But through the years, that distance of time has shrunk a bit.  Our kids have grown and left the nest... hers are growing up fast.

She's had a more interesting life than me; especially in terms of places she's lived:  Kazakhstan, Germany, South Korea, England, Idaho, Oklahoma, etc.  (Jonathan serves in the Air Force.)  She and Jonathan met while serving as English-as-a-Second-Language teachers in Kazakhstan even though they grew up (without knowing each other) less than 50 miles apart.

Danielle stays active on the bike, running, and swimming.  Her marathons and Iron-Man competitions inspire me to keep active and run.

So, while I hope she has some Cake and Ice Cream today, I'm sure she'll be running it off just as fast.

Happy Birthday!