for emily & dylan

“Strangers are just friends I haven't met yet.” - Will Rogers

in just 72 hours, d & i will be hosting my family for a tour of my city life!! 

my mom & dad are bringing my teenage 

brother and sister to chicago for their first 'big city' experience. 

dylan & emily have grown up in the same little town that raised me. a small agricultural community in western oklahoma. a one stoplight town. an everyone-knows-you-&-your-business town. 

when i was around 13 years old, my parents took me on a trip to dallas, (which is BIG city to a country girl!) i can't say that i had ever given much thought about where i would live as an adult prior to that trip. that desolate oklahoma town was my home. i am not sure i had yet considered a life outside of it. but city life mesmerized me...the life, the energy, the constant movement & sound & experience & diversity. 

i apologized to my parents then & there because i knew that city life was my gig. 

i knew i was movin' out of sayre as soon as i possibly could. 

so this blog is for emily & dylan. 

here's some big-sister advice for two kids who will be 

standing where i stood all those years ago: 

dearest siblings, 

i am so stoked to squeeze your necks in just 3 days!! we have lots of fun things planned for your trip!

i hope that we can make this adventure memorable for you....an experience you'll always remember. 

before you arrive, i want you to dwell on a few ideas....

the true beauty of traveling is the intense & sudden awareness that life does not, in fact, 

revolve around you....that there are customs & cultures & fashion & sexuality & languages & religions that have molded people into an entirely different breed than the ones you are accustomed to experiencing.  i promise promise promise you that if you keep your mind open to the beauty of this diversity, you will certainly fall head over heels in love with the tapestry of humanity that dwells within this city. 

listen intently to the languages, the music you hear. 

taste the magnificent variety of ethnic foods. 

consider the possibility that you may learn something fascinating from 

someone who is not white, not protestant and who is not heterosexual.  

i know that in your lives god is very real to you. you hear about him at home, at church and at school. 

what you may not understand fully is that the god you worship looks different to other people. 

(though many will argue that point.)

but for this week, carry this idea with you:

so try to see god in every face you see.

remember that jesus loved the freaks & geeks & weirdos & outcasts. 

avoid casting any preconceived notions about what you 

believe to be "normal" on the people you encounter. 

be kind. be polite. 

savor the differences as well as the sameness. 

also....

take lots of pictures. 

look BOTH ways before you cross the street! 

everyone is in a huge hurry to get somewhere. they will run you over! 

don't wave your phones around. especially on the trains. they are a hot commodity for thieves. 

make sure you use your phone wisely & keep it charged. if you get lost, you'll need it. 

pack lightly. 

try new things. 

be adventurous.  

go with the flow. 

ask questions. 

be patient. 

despite the fact that everyone is rushing around like a chicken without a head, it takes longer to get places & lines can be long & walks can seem like miles. enjoy the scenery. 

be nice to one another. 

or you're sleeping on the porch. 

i love you both more than you could know. 

see you soon! 

sissy.