one bazillion and one reasons why my sister is the awesomest person alive

I suppose this is in honor of my sister's birthday, though I probably should have posted this yesterday if that was the case, but the idea came to me in the middle of the night, and so a day late is what it's going to have to be.  I was talking to my sister recently, and she was feeling slightly frustrated because she felt she didn't fit the mold of what a girl should be, especially one who lives in Central Oregon.  Not that this was a mold she wants to fit in, but she felt it was alienating her a bit to not conform.  And when I say slightly frustrated, there were a few sniffles involved, and if you know my sister, you know that she never cries, and if she's crying then it is probably the end of the world.  And again, if you know my sister, then you also know that she has gone through things that literally would have ended the world of so many people, yet she keeps going strong, so if girlfriend is crying that means I need to bust out the Southern accent I learned from my Tennessee roommates and tell the world "OH NO YOU DI'N'T!" (finger snaps included). 
So it boils down to this:  My sister IS the awesomest person alive, and there are at least one bazillion and one reasons why.  Unfortunately, this blog can't contain that insane amount of awesomeness, and I'm going to have to limit the reasons that I list.  But let it be known, oh depraved and barren Central Oregon in the middle of nowhere, that just because you can't comprehend beauty and goodness that is not wrapped in a molly-mormon, republican-loving, cowboy boot-wearing package, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.  So, Julia, how awesome are you?  Let me count the ways...

1)  Amazing style--Every time my mom and I get complemented on something we are wearing (clothing or jewelry), we always end up saying something akin to "I stole it (or received as a present) from Julia!"  She also always has the cutest things and can pull of the most amazing looks.  Note exhibit A:

2)  She comes up with the greatest ideas.  For example her EPIC birthday party/New Year's Eve party idea:  she wanted a fancy party (though Central Oregon doesn't know such words as fancy, elegant and sophisticated exist, let alone their meaning, so the theme of the party had to be changed to dress up as a famous/historical figure).  My sister's lovely and perfect costume was Twiggy, the British model from the 60's (see exhibit B, and note how they look so much alike!) 

At said party, my sister had an assortment of fancy cheese, fancy chocolate, homemade falafal, a variety of "mocktails" in fancy little glasses and fun decorations (disco ball included). If a party of that proportion had existed here in Palo Alto, so many people would have come and stayed until the very wee hours in the morning, and would have talked about it for weeks afterwards. And Palo Alto is a happening party place for the young single adult crowd (unlike, for example, the middle of nowhere Oregon), so that is saying something.

3) My sister is a fantastic cook and baker. I could eat here delicious meals/baked goods all day. I wish I could include her famous cookies for you to eat as exhibit C, but alas...

4) My sister has the best taste in music. She discovered 90% of the bands that my brother and I listen to. She discovered so many bands before they became popular to the rest of America, so if you are an unknown band trying to make it big, impressing my sister is probably your most important step to fame.

5) She is a great listener. Whenever I call with problems, she knows how to calm me down. She always knows the exact right thing to say.

6) She is a warrior. She has survived all of the battles that life has thrown at her, and is so strong because of it. If you know our family, you know the trials we've been through, and my sister for sure has triumphed over things that would crumble most people.

7) I'm always uber jealous of her eye make-up.

8) She is so ridiculously smart. I mean, NYU!!! She's out there with the best of the best, and excelling at it. For example, she's learning Arabic. Not just a whole new language, but a whole new alphabet! Here's her name, as the real exhibit C:
جوليا 

9) She is brave. Who else could go from a hick farm town to NYC without the blink of an eye?

10) On a related note, I love how she is sensitive to what the Holy Ghost prompts her to do. Like move to a big city to get the knowledge and experience she needs to do the work that God has given her to do.

11) I also love talking to her about spiritual matters. She always teaches me something when we have those discussions. She has such wonderful insight and such a strong, burning testimony, and I can't help but feel how extraordinarily proud God is of her, and how he loves her so very very much.

12) I love how she can make my hair look pretty. I can't do anything related to fashion or looking good myself. And even though she has the most stylish and fun short hair, she still knows how to handle my long hair for me. (See exhibit D)

13) Maybe this should have come first, but I love her hair. I love everything that she does with it, because she always makes it look good, no matter the length or the color!

14) She is so kind. She is sensitive to the needs of those around her and is so caring. She is always willing to sacrifice for others, even if it means that she is going without. When she loves you, she loves you all the way.

15) She is super artistic. She taught herself how to play the piano. And she doodles things like this (exhibit E):

16) She is hilarious. I can't be in her presence for more that a few minutes without laughing at all the witty remarks she constantly makes. I would put up exibit F, the "Hickberry" video, as proof of her far superior humor and wit, but such footage has not been given permission to be made public.

17) She stands up for rights. In high school she was always putting together projects to help people, like earn money for a charity who helps get water to those without in Africa. Currently she is very active in how to help people in the middle east. Whenever she sees others who struggle, she dives right in to do what she can to help.

18) She has the impeccable knack of picking out the most perfect gifts. Especially when they are things I didn't even know I wanted. For example, my room now smells like Oscar Wilde, and it thrills me, which thing I would never have before imagined

19) She has a secret hidden talent of being able to beat my brother up in many different arenas, Super Smash Brothers being one of the more entertaining of the methods to watch.

20) And since she's turning 20, 20 is a good place to end the blog, since of course the reasons of her awesomeness are actually never-ending. Of course I saved the best for last. The most important quality that anyone could have is the ability to quote "The Importance of Being Earnest" in its entirety. Exhibit G: "I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest." Not a truer word was spoken than that, my friends, and my lovely sister has lived that adage to the fullest.