Yes, I’m a day late again. But how do you sum up 21 years of love and loyalty in just one post anyway?

Around this time of year, my first girl Pepsi turns 21. Quick story. I was out of high school, not quite in college yet. Daisy and Jim were outside one day when they heard cries coming from under our porch. That’s where they found her. She was the only survivor. The story goes that she was orphaned. Since I was the only one not working at the time, she became my responsibility.

She slept in a 24-pack Pepsi box next to me in bed until she was strong enough to crawl out hence her name. I bottle-fed that tiny, feisty little thing. She’d even crawl up my pant leg when I’d head to the fridge for her milk. With ne ever since. Countless moves. And countless lows in my life and highs in life. Always there to offer support.

So many years, so many memories. Through every chapter of my life, she’s been there. I always held this quiet hope that if kids were ever in my future, she’d still be around to meet them. To bond with them. As the years passed, I won’t lie, that hope got smaller. But it happened. And she’s the best big sister Alice could ever ask for.

She started out offering so much love to Alice. Gentle and curious. And now? She sets boundaries like a pro when Alice gets a little too rough. She’s patient, sassy, wise queen of thr house!

My first girl. My heart.

Mom loves you so much, Pepsi.