Ode to Rachel

 Four years ago on her birthday, Carrie wrote this post to rachel. I really love it.

Some of you know my lovely sister Rachel Ashby, and you may even know that it's her birthday today. But did you know that: 

- She once had to be taken to the principal's office because 'Puff the Magic Dragon' made her cry so badly.

- She used to belong to a group called 'People Who Would go out of Their Way to Step on a Crunchy Leaf Club,' but then one day she walked past a crunchy leaf and didn't step on it, so she resigned from the club.

- She shot a hole in the family trampoline with an arrow...because she was lying on the trampoline shooting straight up into the sky. ("Well I had time to roll out of the way.")

- She is a magician at catching small animals with her bare hands, including but not limited to tadpoles, lizards, fish, mice, GOPHERS, birds, crawdads, and snakes.

- She once asked to be removed from a soccer game because she had scored so many goals that she was embarrassed.

- She used to live in a cupboard under the stairs.

- At the tender age of 16, she found herself alone in downtown Seoul, Korea with no money, no credit card, no map, and no phone, and still managed to get herself to the airport to catch a plane.

- She once lost her pants during a county-wide Hazmat exercise, to the point where an APB went out over all emergency response radios "Attention all units, we have lost Rachel's pants." 

- Rachel is the kindest, gentlest person you will ever meet. Unless you challenge her, at which point she will win. But you won't even mind, because she really is that great. I love you little sister, with all my heart.