sharing every little thing that we are wearing

song of the day: 'sisters' from the movie white christmas

my name is amanda and i have a blog called 'off of broadway' because i both live and work on broadway street in my small town in northwest arkansas. but when i was little girl growing up in an even smaller town in southwest louisiana, i never even considered that i would one day own a vintage shop and live in a loft with my husband and son. i never thought i'd be so blessed.

see, my whole life, until recently, i looked up to my older sister and wanted to be just like her. she was blonde, and thin, and pretty, and every one liked her. all the boys thought she was gorgeous and she was by far the trendiest of the girls. i was a chubby little thing with wavy hair that was most disagreeably mouse brown. my sister, angie, is 10 years older than me so she was frequently 'in charge.' she's always been independent and assertive and basically everything that i am not. i would dress up in her clothes when she was at school and play in her room so she wouldn't know.

this is a photo of my brother, sister, and mom holding me as a baby at my dedication just a few months after i was born. i showed this picture because angie is wearing the outfit i would always play in. that skirt and shirt were my very favorites. i would put on the skirt (which trailed the floor) and cinch it up with a belt, and wear that top with a toilet seat cover (please don't ask) around my neck and walk around singing in our back yard. i think i was born with a bit of a gypsy soul.

i tried so hard to find a navy blue skirt with sweet little white flowers on it, but couldn't find anything like it at the thrift. i'd love to find one some day. if for no other reason than the nostalgia of it all. so i took the inspiration of her outfit that day and translated it to what i'd wear today. funny how all these things were in my closet and that i really look like i came straight out of 1980.

and i just want you all to know that while angie is still everything i'm not, i am now a lot of things she isn't. and i'm glad of it. we are very different but there is no feeling of competition or of one being better than the other. i love what i've become and what i am still becoming. that's what makes me, me!

and i want to thank ms. morgan for the opportunity to fill in for her. i've so totally enjoyed hearing the other guest bloggers stories. this was so super fun. thanks so much!!!