Amanda Manthey Photography

Today is my sister’s birthday and I told you all that I would write a post on her since she was the one who suggested that I start my own photography business! As I was approaching 30 and wondering where my life was going – she was the one that said you love photography – why not start your own business? And it seems such a simple concept but I honestly never thought I would be capable of that…it seemed like such a foreign and scary and hard idea. (and it is – don’t get me wrong – but with her support, it has made it a little less of all of those things!)

Today is not all about me as that first paragraph may have made you think it was – today is all about Megan! It’s her special day and it’s a great day to celebrate her!

Starting when we were little, I always looked up to her. I always wanted to play with her and do everything she did. If she had a friend over I would follow them around until they let me play with them. When we went back to school shopping – I wanted to shop in all the stores that she was shopping in. She got her ears pierced at nine, so I got MY ears pierced at nine. You get the point. I was her shadow. (Whether she wanted that or not ;))

I was her shadow because I could tell right from the start that she was a special and smart person. She would try things first and tell me what she learned. She was smarter and had more wisdom. She still is and does, just so you know!

Fast forward to her going away to college and we grew closer in another way.  We both were older, so I think it our relationship could grow into more than just sisters – it was when we became friends. She showed me how to be strong when you leave home and to get involved and to give it your all. She was involved with as much as one person could be at Gettysburg. She spent hours at theatre, where her passion was. She was a proud Delta Gamma. She gave tours of Gettysburg and although I haven’t talked to any of her past tour members, I would bet anything that she was everyone’s favorite. She gave it her all and made each one special. On top of all of those time-consuming actitives, she also was an excellent student (see – I told you she was smart!). There were many more things that she did at college and people that she touched there, but these are just a couple of the highlights!

Next on her list was to become a third grade teacher AND get her masters. She showed me that you can do whatever you want – you just have to stay focused and make it happen. A normal person would probably be so tired after night classes and studying, that they might not give it their all in their day job. But not my sister – she gave her all to each of her students each year. She would dress up for classes so her students would feel part of what they were learning and she would talk in accents – she would keep the kids engaged. And they loved it. They loved her and they loved learning from her.

Now she is the mom to two of the most amazing kids (and I am sure my sister had a little something to do with that ;)), wife to a great husband, tutor to a student she has worked with for years, a star, top  Wildtree rep, and so much more – all while fighting a horrible disease. She shows me everyday that you can do anything you put your mind to. She shows me that life is tough, throws some curve balls and sometimes knocks you down, but you just fight and get back up. She also shows me to do all of those things with kindness.

So these are just a few snippets of her life – and they are just a couple of the examples of what an amazing and special person she is. Not just to me, but to all of those that she has touched each year of her life. I am so lucky and blessed to have Megan as a big sister – she is the person I can go to with anything and she is such an inspiration for me to continue trying to follow in her footsteps as she is smart, strong, beautiful, hardworking, passionate, kind and so much more. Happy Birthday Megan!