Carrot is Freaking 40!!!!!

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It's hard to believe, but my baby sister is forty-freaking years old!

I am dumbfounded today as I consider this because, of course, I can remember the day when she was born. There wasn't one day out of all those days when I thought she wasn't the coolest little girl on the planet.

(All right, there was one drunken Memorial Day party when she pissed me off with sophomoric comments, but it was just for one night and we've laughed our asses off about it every day since).

But 40!

Crazy.

And there will be a great party in Maryland this weekend and life itself is stopping me from going, but she knows, really knows that I'd be there if I could...we all would...because like me and Kathy, the rest of my family adores Aunt Carrie.

We have Bruce in April in section 116 in April too!

And it's funny, but there was a moment earlier in the week. I rose from bed on March 6th knowing that the new Bruce album had downloaded to my I-phone. As happy as that made me, it made me sad. There would be a void.

And Carrie stepped into it.

By 6:30 a.m. she was texting me her thoughts.

"Rocky Ground is awful," she noted.

"I told you it sucked," I answered.

Both of us realizing exactly what the other was thinking.

She was right there. Doing what came natural.

Of course, there's more:

I hooked the phone up to the car stereo and on a beautiful, crisp, sunny morning, I headed to the first job. Brand new Bruce blasting through.

God, how I wished Jeff could hear it.

The "Tire Pressure Error" light flashed on my screen.

"What the hell? Can't I enjoy an hour?" I asked, looking to the sky.

And I had a thought...could it be?

The second I thought it, the light went out.

To be safe I went into the rest area and checked my tires...all fully inflated.

I went into Tim Horton's for a coffee, kind of snickering to myself.

I ordered the coffee and was handed my change. I usually check the pennies...if there is a wheat penny I save it in a space in my car because Jeff collected them and I see a day, years from now, when I hand them all to Johnny or Rocco.

I received six cents in change. One nickel and one penny.

One wheat penny.

I hadn't found one in months.

Back in the car...Bruce was turned up loud...another text from my soon-to-be-40-year-old-sister.

"Don't you just love the heartbeat in the background all the way through Land of Hopes and Dreams."

"I love every note of it," I answered.

Happy Birthday, Carrot.

You OLD, sophomoric bitch.

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