Sep 30, 20233 min read

A birthday catch-up, a baseball game and the Brannan sister's reunite...

Good morning my friends,

Whew, it's been a minute!

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of wildness, fun and hard work. The best part of all was that my big sissy, Lizzy, came to Washington D.C. to celebrate her birthday (which, let's be real…is a heck of a flight to take across the country!)

There were splendid plans of keeping you all updated minute to minute with our silliness, but of course I ended up having so much fun being with my best friend and living “in the moment,” that the idea quickly fell by the wayside. Although technology allows us to constantly be texting and calling and face-timing as only sisters can, there is nothing like that feeling of giggling and talking over coffee in-person.

September means falling leaves and celebrating Lizzy, but at the moment it also means homework! Grad students are gearing up for midterms here at Georgetown, and thankfully I have a supportive sister who wants me to graduate…because I have NO self control when she is around. I will unabashedly admit that historically, I ignore homework and readings if it means getting to spend more time with Liz–so it was frankly probably a good thing she didn’t stay much longer than a week! We cherished every minute of exploring, secret-telling, baseball games, dinners, hikes, catching up with old friends and giggling like we were 10 again…because let's face it, some things never change.

After dropping Lizzy off at the airport and (frankly) crying for what felt like hours, I made a cup of coffee and pulled myself together. My little house felt very quiet, and all of a sudden the corners and closets somehow became darker with her gone. I turned on one of our favorite Tyson albums “”Ol’ Eon” and considered what a gift it is to have home and loved ones to miss. There were so many periods of life I dreamed about what it would be like to live in a moment of time just like this one–and in every way–it has been both better and more unexpected than any story I could write.

As time marches on, I am more and more shocked at how quickly this chapter of life has flown by. Growing up, the older and wiser people in your life warn you things speed up, but I just never could quite bring myself to believe them wholeheartedly. I knew graduate school was something I wanted to pursue even while living in my truck. And although I imagined what it might be like, even the best author with the wildest imagination couldn’t anticipate what the last year has had in store for ol’ Lefty and I …and that feels like such a gift! Living in town (especially this BIG of a town!) is very different from what we’ve experienced in the past, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Watching hard work open doors and dreams turn into reality is something to be treasured–and like every chapter, I plan on taking advantage of every second. Even when home feels far away.

Lizzy’s visit brought the smell of sagebrush and rawhide cream to D.C. and reminded me that the confines of the city aren’t for forever. Smoke and coffee in-hand, my big sister regaled Lefty and I with stories about being horseback again, rawhide she is braiding and old men's shirts she found stashed away in a box. Seeing her healthy, thriving and full of joy makes my heart happier than a ten pound sack of sweets. Her steadily improving health promises lots of future Brannan sister adventures following graduation…

Speaking of which, I must get back to studying. I have class in a while, and that next pot of coffee isn’t going to make itself!

To each and every one of you, hugs and happy Friday!

xoxo