Andy, my eldest of five brothers, has decided to start a war with me. This will not be the first. Our sibling combat throughout the years has consisted of many situations that have demanded determination, intelligence, and of course, deceit and treachery on both sides. Well, the deceit and treachery was mostly on Andy’s side.
I’m just the innocent little sister.
Let me give you a sampling: How many of teenage Rachel’s land-line phone conversations can Andy eavesdrop on, in order to find out which boy Rachel likes? How many of Rachel’s diaries and journals can Andy read, in order to find out which boy Rachel likes? How many of Rachel’s bedroom closets can Andy hide in, in order to best hear her conversations with her closest friends, in order to find out which boy Rachel likes? (You get the picture.) Also, who has the highest GPA? Who has the highest ACT score? Can Andy and the other brothers ambush Rachel with plastic pellet guns when she is walking into the house? Can Andy make angry Rachel laugh, which makes her even angrier because she really wanted to stay angry? Who can collect the most wheat, brick and ore supplies in the game Settlers of Catan in order to win? (I have one thing to say here: Only one of us tricked our dear, sweet mother in order to win a recent game of Settlers of Catan, and it wasn’t me.)
Who is Grandma Marilyn’s favorite? (Duh.)
And now, we present Blog Wars: Who has the most enjoyable writing style, sharpest wit, and best knowledge of semicolon placement?
My opponent is good, I will give him that.
Andy has started a new blog called Tetra Dad, named for his newborn son Oliver’s heart condition, Tetralogy of Fallot. I am dying to meet little Oliver myself, but with Andy’s family being so far away (he, his wife Shawna, and their kids Clara and Oliver live in North Carolina), the blog is a good tool for Andy to share some of those moments the rest of us might otherwise miss. It is intended to share updates and information about Oliver’s condition, offer support to other parents experiencing similar situations, tell stories about life in North Carolina, and generally focus on the positive things in a stressful situation.
You can find Andy’s blog here. I also have a link to Tetra Dad in my sidebar, in case you’re ever looking for it again.
Of course, I should mention that one of the goals of Andy’s blog is to “demonstrate that” he is a “better writer than Rachel.” (That is a direct quote.) It’s on, Andy.
However, I feel like I also need to point out that he has two of the cutest kids in the world on his team. I feel this is unfair: I have two sloppy dogs on my team.
See what I mean?
Someday this auntie will steal said adorable children, take pictures of said adorable children and post them, and dramatically improve the overall cuteness of Boomtown Diaries.
Blog Wars, as Andy calls it, has revealed to me that our sibling combat hasn’t gone away as we’ve gotten older; it is simply evolving with the times. Fifteen years ago, it involved stealing diaries and eavesdropping on landline conversations because none of us had cell phones. (I can’t help but think that my adolescent life would have been much simpler if I had an iPhone with a secret pass code then, like I do now. Oh, the possibilities!) Now, it’s blogging. But Andy’s challenge is a reminder to me that regardless of age, miles, and life events getting in the way, we are still siblings in the end. Plus, this morning I finally felt motivated to update my Boomtown Diaries home page and links. Nothing like a little healthy sibling combat.
Just remember one thing: Regardless of what anyone says, I’m the innocent little sister.
Boomtown Diaries 