Our wedding party
The gals
Susanna Paul - Abi's oldest sister
Susanna and I have grown up doing pretty much everything together, and I couldn't have asked for a better sister. Despite our great differences in personality, interests, and tastes, we are very close and she has been a tremendous blessing in my life. People frequently guess that she is older than me now, though we've often been mistaken for twins - and in reality I am 3 years older. :) She has a real heart for reaching out to others and helping them in whatever ways God leads, and I'm excited to see where that may take her in the future.
Lydia Paul - Abi's middle sister
Because she is 9 years younger than me, Lydia and I rubbed each other the wrong way for a number of years. I remember throwing quite a fit when she, as a hungry toddler, chewed the corner off an Anne of Green Gables book I was borrowing from someone...and I was less than patient with her during the years of trying to give her piano lessons. But something changed when she was about 11 or 12, and almost overnight we became very close. Now she's one of my best friends, and I don't know what I'd do without her practical encouragement and help in so many areas.
Rachel Paul - Abi's youngest sister
With the 15-year age gap between us, I've grown up feeling almost like a second mom or an aunt to Rachel instead of a sister. The older we get, though, the more she has seemed like a sister and the more we've been able to do with each other. Rachel is one of the most talented people I know - she can play any instrument she lays her hands on (at least 20 so far), and she's becoming an amazing photographer. It's going to be really exciting to see how she's able to continue developing these talents in the years ahead.
Ami Paul - Abi's sister-in-law
It isn't every year that one gets a new sister, and my brother Joseph's wedding to Ami was definitely one of the highlights of 2009 for me. Because Ami's family is from Arkansas and that is where she and Joseph (and little Ruby) are living, I haven't had a chance to get to know Ami as well as I wish over the past 6 years we've known her. But with each visit my appreciation for Ami's tender heart, cheerful humor, and unselfish spirit grows. I'm looking forward to getting to continuing to build a sisterly relationship with her in the years to come.
The guys
Kyle Westbrook - Joe's oldest brother
Kyle is 3 years younger than me, and I remember getting in probably the biggest trouble of my life when he was playing with me and my friend Dan and, for some reason, Dan and I tied Kyle up. As the years have passed, I've gained an incredible amount of respect for Kyle as he moved out on his own at 18 and has been able to find work that he really enjoys.
Tom Westbrook - Joe's youngest brother
Tom is 5 years younger than me. Unfortunately we weren't as close growing up because of this age difference. I've always known him to be more on the quiet side, but he has a great sense of humor and it's a lot of fun to see it come out. He spent 4 years in the U.S. Army as a Cavalry Scout, finishing his committment there and moving home in May 2010. As proud as I am of him for enlisting during a time of conflict, I am so glad to have him home.
Joseph Paul - Abi's oldest brother
As the first-born daughter and first-born son in our family, Joseph and I have very similar personalities and ways of dealing with things. This caused us to be at odds often through our growing up years, and I don't think we ever managed to prove which of us is more stubborn because neither of us would ever give in first. ;) But as we've both reached adulthood and (apparently) matured quite a bit, we've realized how much we appreciate about each other and now we talk to each other about everything, all the time. It's a little harder now that he's way down in Arkansas and is very busy in his roles as husband and father (I have the world's best sister-in-love, Ami, and I'm auntie to the world's cutest baby, Ruby), but I'm still very thankful for my big-little brother. There's just something about these guys named Joseph.... ;)
Daniel Paul - Abi's youngest brother
Daniel is nothing short of an amazing young man. He is incredibly responsible and mature for his almost-18 years, having practically run the farm ever since he was 14, doing a man's share of work and doing it well. He's saving up to buy the farm himself someday, and I'm confident he will be able to do so - he bought his first tractor with cash when he was only 12 years old. We are all very proud of him, and are thankful he is seeking to keep God first in all he does.