The Sisters Trip

By Kat McDaniel, Principal at MEDiAHEAD

My sisters and I recently took a trip to Bloomington, Indiana to bury my father. It was one of the first times in many years that we were able to spend a week together after raising kids, work and all of us living in different parts of the world.

A best friend is a gift in life, but sisters share an unmatched bond.

Even when the world seems like it’s working against you, your sister is always there for you to fall back on. We watched each other grow up, have been the primary witness to each awkward stage of life and my sisters have been there for the good times too. Four girls born within six years! Absolute chaos in our house growing up… I’m not sure how my father survived it.

We lost one sister, Susan, to cancer fifteen years ago, so we let John, my husband come along as the honorary sister.

We spread our father’s ashes in his favorite place – a farm a few miles southwest of Bloomington. The farm is surrounded by housing developments on two sides, but the 160 acres remain pristine with deer, wild turkeys, a sandhill crane couple, ducks, flying squirrels and coyotes that howl in the night.

We spent two days in the woods hiking and telling stories, like only sisters can.

A few cocktails were consumed, and I honestly haven’t laughed like that for years.

We were beyond silly some nights telling stories and being goofy.

My sister Amy was in the fashion industry, and she’ll tell you the truth when you commit a fashion sin – I always rely on her to choose the best outfits for me. She’ll immediately notice when you’ve done something different with your hair or lost a few pounds. Amy has always been my partner in crime, even when she knows better – best not to share any details on that! She has always been the one that I can confide my deepest, darkest secrets to.

My youngest sister Elizabeth, or as I like to still call her Betsy, doesn’t have to be briefed on our family’s strange idiosyncrasies – she is well aware of them. She can say just one word to make Amy and I laugh uncontrollably, and it’s the Wait-Stop-I-Can’t-Breathe kind of laugh. She loves me for being me, and she doesn’t try to make me into something I’m not – like a conservative lol. We’ve grown closer the last 10 years after she moved back to the states.

Sisters are the best – they’ve known you longer than anyone else, so they understand where you’re coming from. I hope we continue to take a sister’s trip every year. I really cherish my time with them!