As much as I despise waking up early in the morning, it’s worth it for this:

That’s me and my sis-in-law, Jesse. She’s the only other crazy that will hike Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, AZ with us at the butt crack of dawn. I’m so glad she did, too. Any time we get to hang out with Dusty’s youngest sister we take it. You see, it’s taken years and years to get to know Jess. Not that she has been a tough one to crack, well maybe a little. In reality, we’ve had timing issues.

When I met Jesse, I was 27 which would make her around 13 at the time. We didn’t have much in common. I was trying to find my way in the working world as an “adult”, just moving home to Ohio from Arizona. She was the baby of the family trying to fend her way as the fifth Doris child to come through her Junior High. The Doris reputation did not help her. :) As I struggled with buying a house and pretending like I would make a good hourly employee, she was becoming a teenager who was too cool to talk to the old people (or so I believed).

A few years later, as she was just leaving home to attend Arizona State (hey, maybe we did have something in common!), Dusty and I were getting married and preparing to escape the U.S. With her in Arizona and us jetting off on sabbatical(s), we spent the next few years apart. I didn’t really know this girl after 8 years of being a part of her family.

Until recently. The magic of the internets has allowed both Dusty and I to get to know Jesse better. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, emails, this blog and a few family get-togethers, it’s been revealed that we have quite a bit in common.

She likes to read about behavior and lifestyle hacking. We hack away daily.

She despises processed food. We also dislike foods containing words we cannot pronounce.

She wants to travel and see the world. You know we’re in for that.

She can’t see herself taking a cubicle job upon graduation. We regret even trying to make that work.

She’s a weirdo. So is Dusty.

She also likes hiking. We can’t get enough of it.

After years separated by our ages and circumstance, we’re finally getting to know Dusty’s youngest sister. She’s a wonderful person. She inspires us to be weird, challenge the status quo and enjoy nature. We love you Jess and hope to have many more hikes with you soon!

Oh, and Happy Birthday JESSE!!!