This Penciled Notebook

Quite honestly, the number one reason I am happy to be an adult is I finally realize how totally awesome my family is. Actually, I always thought my parents were awesome, but not so much my siblings. I am your typical oldest sister and with that comes bossiness and the need to control. I have been working on my "mother hen" complex as I've become older, but I always have this overwhelming need to take care of my brother and sisters. As a kid, I always felt years older and wiser, when in actuality I was not. There are only three and half years from me to my sister Abbey, with our brother, Parker, in-between. But with Parker taller (and smarter!) than me now, and Abbey always being mistaken for the older sister, I've been humbled…maybe my siblings won't necessarily say that…but I'm on my way! And then there is Allison, who I will always be a mother hen to, being that she's 16 years younger than me. Poor thing. I hope she still loves me as an adult.

Like I mentioned right off, I am so happy that I now realize how wonderful my siblings are and how lucky I am to have them in my life. They have been a great support system and I learn from them all the time. Growing up in the military and changing schools and friends so often, the only real steady relationship in my life has been with my siblings. I love them a lot.

Now, I want to tell you why I have the best brother in the world. He's grown into a wonderful man, who always, and I mean always, takes the time to help his sisters when they need him. I can't tell you how many times I have called him in absolute tears because a boy broke up with me, or because I had a bad day at school or work, or because I was feeling lonely. And those phone calls were never short. He listens patiently and lets me get it all out. He has never complained and somehow always has the time to listen. Besides the phone calls, he finds time to help me in other ways, like with my schoolwork or other projects. Most recently, I got myself into a real bind, and Parker dropped everything to help.

Last month I had a photo shoot in Washington, DC (where my brother now lives). I was hired to do head shots for a business. I rented all the lighting equipment that I needed and decided to set everything up the night before to make sure all was working. Well, I made a real amateur mistake, the worst I've ever made. It involved melted plastic…which got all over one of my modeling lights. Arrrgh. I was in an absolute panic when I realized what I had done. It was so stupid of me. All worst case scenarios started running through my mind. I thought I would have to replace the light, but I wouldn't have time to go and get a new light before the photo shoot the next morning. And if the rental company saw what I did they would never let me rent from them again. My brother, being the amazing chemist that he is, knew exactly what to do. First of all, melted plastic gets really hot, really fast, and then cools and hardens even faster. I thought it was going to be impossible to get it off. Cool as can be, my brother turned the light back on to quickly heat the plastic and wipe off whatever he could before burning himself or damaging any more of the light. Then, he spent the next few hours rubbing the light and bulbs with acetone. Acetone is a miracle worker. It took that hardened plastic off! It took some time, but it was gone. Completely gone! I could hardly believe it. And I could hardly believe that my brother spent that much time helping me out. I went back, set up the lights again and did a few test shots and everything worked perfectly! No problems, all was as good as new. The next day, the shoot went well and when I returned my equipment, there were no issues. I was incredibly thankful. My brother helped me save a lot of money and also earn money because I didn't have to cancel the shoot.

I have an awesome brother. That pretty much sums it up. I could not have asked for a better one. He helps me in a so many ways. I'm not sure what I would do without him. And what is really awesome, he lets me and my sister take him shopping and pick out his clothes! Yeah. He's one of a kind.

A few test shots right after he cleaned my light. Parker says I never want to take his picture…I can't imagine why he would say that. Such a stud, right?

Today I turned 27. Whoa. I think there is a lot I could write on how I feel about turning 27, but I'll spare you that for now. The best part about my birthday is how Fall sweeps through and wraps everyone up in warmth and color. For me, my birthday has always been the start of the best time of year and I look forward to it with anticipation. To celebrate the beginning of Fall, my family has begun a tradition of apple picking and pumpkin snatching. I absolutely love this tradition, but what I love more is being with my family. I hardly pick any apples and I usually choose one pumpkin. On a family outing such as this, where you'll find me is with the camera trying best to capture the moments of happiness we feel together. With everyone's busy schedules and crazy lives, we hardly have the chance to spend time together. So, I cherish these moments with all my heart.

I hope you enjoy what I captured below.