Today my wonderful sister-in-law celebrated the day of her birth, and in honor of that occasion, I am using today to say how thankful I am for her. I really could not have asked for a better sister. Sure, we’ve had our differences, but I was pregnant and she was really messy, so I think I’m entitled. 
Really, I’d say because of the whole experience of having her live with us for a year while I was pregnant with Emma probably made us more like real sisters than just the Thanksgiving and Christmas visits. You really can’t reach a deep level of love for someone until you realize how much you can really hate them (okay, hate might be a little strong, but dislike seems a little weak for the antithesis of love, as does annoyance, so I’m sticking with hate). Now I don’t think this necessarily means you have to hate someone to love them more—just be aware that the capacity exists.
I think the whole love/hate level is why the parent/child relationship forms such a strong bond. Parents love their babies more than they’ve ever loved anything before, but after a 3-hour crying spree at 4 in the morning, a parent comes to realize how much anti-love is possible, while at the same time remaining entirely in love with the screaming demon. Trust me on this one. And no matter how much a child claims to hate the parent, there is still a well of love available—that hopefulness that wants to believe that nothing bad can be true of one’s parents. But I diverge.
Jasmine. I am proud to have you as my sister. You’re pretty cool, and now that we’ve both grown up a little more, I respect you. You’re a wonderful auntie to my sweeties, a loving sister to my husband, and a great friend to me (I mean, who else would buy me Guitar Hero?? You rock!). I am thankful that you are in my life, that you are honest with me, and that you’re tactful when telling me what a dork I am. I am not really sorry for scarring you with my childbirths, and I know for the right guy you will be able to overcome the memories.
Hope you had a splendid birthday. Sorry I couldn’t be there to make you a cake. Here’s a picture of one someone else made:
Looks pretty sweet, huh? Happy Birthday!
(For those of you unawares of Emma’s speech patterns, the letter J usually ends up coming out as a Z, therefore Jazz=Zazz; it’s not a typo.)
The Daring Kitchen
You’re the best sister I could imagine having
I wish you (and your family) were a bigger part of my life. Glad we hit rock bottom in our relationship early on so we could grow closer and stronger 
Thanks for the cake, and I love/hate you too 