Happy Birthday Rachel

My sister Rachel, the eldest of the Stanley Sisters, has reached a milestone today: 40 years lived. To honor her 4 decades on this good green earth here are 40 things to love about Rachel Emily Stanley Rodgers.

1 - Rachel is really good at talking to people.
2 - I mean it. In any gathering, she makes everyone in the room feel comfortable. Says just the right thing.
3 - She kept her family as healthy and functioning as possible while her brave husband served two tours in Iraq.
4 - She married a very cool husband whom her siblings love to go to for sound advice.
5 - Rachel makes her marriage a priority.
6 - Rachel is gorgeous.
7 - She has the best hair of the sisters — accepting a flat iron or a curling iron equally well.
8 - And she has the best curves as well, being the only sister that could ever be described as "stacked."
9 - Rachel loves to read.
10 - And wants to discuss whatever she's just finished reading with you.

11 - She has dedicated her life to raising happy, hardworking kids:
12 - Her daughter Robin (who was accepted at every college she applied to and will be attending BYU this fall).
13 - Her son Paul.
14 - Her son Joshua.
15 - Her son Daniel.
16 - Her daughter Gloria.
17 - Her daughter Sara.
18 - As a military wife, she made happy homes for her family in Georgia, Kansas, Germany, Texas and other places I'm forgetting...
19 - All those moves means she knows how to make good friends quickly.
20 - And she's really good at staying in touch with all those friends.

21 - Rachel does her best to embrace the local culture wherever she lives — even making over-the-top giant mums for homecoming in Texas.
22 - She is deeply spiritual.
23 - And enthusiastically patriotic.
24 - She keeps hens in her backyard.
25 - And she tends a large garden.
26 - So her family can live quite self-sufficiently.
27 - She works hard to live by a budget.
28 - Which enables her to give generous gifts.
29 - For example, knowing I collect Caldecott Award books, she once sent me a first edition book by Caldecott himself.
30 - Rachel is a runner.

31 - Rachel is really good at decorating cakes — she even earned money doing so for many years.
32 - And she makes gorgeous quilts.
33 - Rachel is a good cook.
34 - And an excellent hostess.
35 - In high school, she (thankfully) introduced her younger siblings to cool music.
36 - She watches the news and keeps up on what's going on in the world.
37 - She has smart opinions about what she sees.
38 - Rachel supports the many, varied projects of her children and her siblings in any way she can.
39 - She has good taste.
40 - If you know Rachel, you probably feel like she is your best friend.

Happy Birthday, Rachel! I love you and hope your next 40 years are even more spectacular.