Gracen Lainey

In my head, Gracen will ALWAYS be 9 years old. She’s my kid sister and it will always be weird to me that she’s some years past the legal drinking age. I think it’s just part of the nature of having siblings. The difference at this age, however, is that we actually get along, at least for the amounts of time we actually get to spend together in the chaos that apparently is adult life. 

I was scrolling through these photos from last year when she came to visit me, and realized how stinking cool she is. She’s always been cooler than me, but seriously. She is one of the strongest, craziest, funniest individuals I know. Plus she’s a fabulous model.

This visit was a few months after she graduated from college and a few months before she left for New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND PEOPLE! Have I mentioned how much cooler than me she is!? Like the free spirit she is, and nothing forcing her to stay here, she decided to get a work visa and move to New Zealand. Aaannddd, might I add, when her year visa was expiring and she had to move on, she decided to go to Malaysia. MALAYSIA PEOPLE! Are you beginning to understand yet?

She is the definition of a free spirit. You kind of have to be if you’re willing to bungee jump. Why not see the world when there is nothing tying you down?

At the same time, she’s responsible. She’s taken a stand on animal cruelty. She doesn’t buy clothes from companies that exploint their workers and yet looks fabulous on a daily basis. And she doesn’t expect the world to be handed to her on a silver platter. A new brewery/restaurant just opened up in our hometown and she’s working as a waitress. Y’all, I wouldn’t last two hours as a waitress. She works hard. She plays hard. She’s my sister and I am so stinkin’ proud of her.