In honor of National Siblings Day we asked GSHPA staff to share their stories! Be sure to share your favorite sibling stories in the comments!
What is a favorite memory with you and your sibling(s)?
“The time we spent growing up together with my older sibs were the best days. Laughing in the summer in our backyard pool with friends, or wintertime ice skating at a local pond were times I’ll never forget and experiences we love to talk about when we get together.” – Tom Long (Major Gifts Officer)
Becoming an aunt with my older brother and watching my youngest brother become a US Marine. – Caitlyn Ridge (Fund Development Data Specialist)
“Going to Lake Wallenpaupack every summer!” – Rebecca Spencer (Volunteer Support Coordinator)
“Going to Hilton Head Island every summer!” – Erika Carpin (Troop/Group Banking Specialist)
“Easter basket hunts at our grandparents!” – Adia Walker (Regional Director)
“I have three younger brothers. All four of us were born within five years. We are lucky to all be friends and enjoy each other’s company. Camping is our favorite way to all get together!” – Jenny Boyles (Member Registration Specialist)
“My brother was younger and we fought all the time. However, once I got my license, my parents didn’t allow me to drive with friends. I decided my brother was good for something and he could be my sidekick. He was willing to tolerate it because he got to go places. One favorite memory was going to the drive in. We’d take all the cushions off the couch, throw them in the back of the truck, and go watch the latest release.” – Lutricia Eberly (Director of Outdoor and Program Experiences)
“My favorite memory with my siblings was waking each other up really early on Christmas morning to go see what Santa brought. I’ll always be thankful for those magical memories!” – Kelly Simonelli (Marketing Communications Coordinator)
“I am the baby of nine siblings. I have five brothers and three sisters. Christmas morning was the best. We all waited at the top the stairs until Mom and Dad gave the OK for us to come down and open presents. It was mad dash to our basement/rec room. Fun chaos.” – Cathy Hirko (Director of Marketing and Communications)
“Going on adventures. My brother and I used to run around the neighborhood and make up different adventures we were on. One time we went to the coal mines and got lost. That one was scary. But other than that one, our adventures were always fun.” – Angela Jefferies (Director of Human Resources)
“It’s rare as we get older that we can get together often, especially being spread out across PA. Last year I got married and was able to hang out with them for a full weekend! We caught up on what was going on in our lives, enjoyed the quaintness of my at-home wedding reception, laughed, and played games! We’ve become closer as adults which has been a huge help as I navigate my way through “adulting”! We were even able to plan a week-long trip to Eagle’s Mere, a lake we visited every summer as kids, for this summer.” – Olivia Novak (Volunteer Support Coordinator)
“Five of my siblings are from my father to a previous marriage so they are much older than me and didn’t live in the same country as I did. My fondest memory with them was always having them come to visit when I was little and staying for several weeks with us because they traveled from so far away. My other sister from my mom was put up for adoption before I was born. My mom spoke of her to me from a very young age so the best memory I have was meeting her mother’s day weekend the year before my mother passed away. She was pregnant with her first child and it was so special to not only celebrate her first mother’s day with her, but to be able to see the joy on my mom’s face to have both her girls with her on mother’s day when we didn’t know how many more she would get to celebrate.” – Sheri Kline (Volunteer Support Coordinator)
“The memory of how I used to despise my sister. When I was younger we were mortal enemies. We are 13 months apart so she would steal my clothes, my friends, and hobbies. After growing up and realizing that she is my built in best friend, we can finish each other thoughts, know what we are thinking with a look, and laugh at the silliest things for hours. I could not live without her and we talk every day. I still can’t believe I used to despise her but I guess that is a part of growing up! I wish I would have realized she was my built in best friend sooner for then we could have had so many more memories.” – Jordan Lowe (Member Services Specialist)
“My brother and I are both big sports fans, so we always make time to go to Hershey Bears games and Harrisburg Senators games!” – Brynne Hall (Volunteer Support Coordinator)
“My sister is 5 years younger than me. We fought all the time as kids. For my birthday when I was about 8 years old I got a sparkling pink magic wand. It was long, made of plastic, and had a star at the top. It even lit up! One day our mom heard me yelling outside and looked out the window to find my toddler sister beating me up with my magic wand. I am sure I said something to instigate it. Our mom ran outside to stop it, but also laughed about my little sister’s behavior, especially the image of the sparkling wand being used as a weapon. My sister and I share this story ALL THE TIME. We are so close now that we are older and love to reminisce about the ‘good old days’.” – Jess Delp (Director of Product Program and Retail)
“My brother is the reason I only ever wanted 1 child; we fought a lot as kids. We get a long much better now as adults. But one of my favorite memories was almost every Christmas morning, we would get up early and just talk. For hours. It was like a flag of truce was up for that time and we talked about everything and anything. I really liked that.” – Diane Bateman (Member Services Specialist)
“Over the last year we have stayed very connected through Facetime and have done weekly ‘Masterminds’ conversations where we talk about books we’re reading, listen to philosophy podcasts and then discuss the topics, and just have deep-thinking conversations. It’s been a really fun way to stay connected with my siblings even though we live all over the country. It will be a very special memory for life! – Caroline Jaegar (Product Program Specialist)
When we were between the ages of 4 and 10 – my three sisters and I waiting for my Dad to return from work to to take us every Friday for our weekend movie treats, and sitting all together watching a movie, munching on the treats and enjoying each other’s company! – Raksha Authar (Executive Assistant to the President and CEO)
We can’t wait to hear your favorite sibling stories!
Post by the GSHPA Staff
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