Animated butterflies fluttered in my stomach: my sister is flying up to visit! The phone that was in my hand clicked off with an overwhelmed sigh from me, and then I raced to my calendar to mark the date in red. It was two anxious months of waiting ahead, but I knew it was worth the wait. The days ticked by second by second as I anticipated her arrival, hoping they would blow by. I would fall asleep thinking about what we would do when she arrived, these thoughts teased my nightly dreams.

When my phone vibrated in response to my sister, Alexis’s text message saying her plane landed, I felt as if I were about to burst. However, I knew it would be a few days until I saw her since she was getting settled in the house she was staying before she came to see me and my brother. Despite these plans, she called me to tell me she was on her way over; it was two days before I expected her to come! Once the shock settled in, I quickly ran to my bedroom to straighten up. I picked up clothes from my bed where they didn’t belong and hung them in my color coded closet. My lime-of-a-bathroom was next. I flicked the switch to my left to on, and on command, it lit up my green bathroom walls. I wiped down the counter top then placed my unnecessary hair products to fit into the corner where my mirror met the wall, like puzzle pieces. After all this, I knew I still had about forty-five minutes until she got to my house. I ran the water form the faucet in my shower and quickly hopped in. by the time I was dressed, I could hear my sisters muffled voice in the driveway through my window. I ran to the garage door, knowing that’s where she would enter from. As the door opened, I leaped into her, almost knocking her and her boulder of a suitcase over. She squeezed me back, and after exchanging greetings I led her to her room and helped her unpack her suitcase.
We discussed favorite books, her life in college and basically just caught up. We planned f a trip to the mall two days into the future, and I finally went to bed in absolute happiness. While my brother and I went to school the next day, Alexis went over to a friend’s house. She stayed until it was the day we planned on going to the mall, and shortly after I got inside my house from the bus stop, I heard the stones on my driveway grind against rubber tires. She walked into the house minutes after I heard this, and we left to the mall once she was done showering. At the mall, we slurped juiced smoothies and invaded clothing stores. I was conflicted on my way home; pleased that we got to go, but miserable it had to end. She left for the airport only days later, and I was conflicted with the same emotions I had after the mall trip.