Andrea is Becky's daughter. She's an amazing young woman and I adore her. I don't share close relationships with Becky's kids as much as I do some of the other ones, but I enjoy being around them and I'm always amazed at what they're doing with their lives.
My feelings about Andrea are probably misguided and not completely accurate as I don't have as much contact with her. So I guess I'm just throwing that out there in advance.
I've always figured life would be harder for Andrea. She's following Amy. And that would be an almost impossible task. Amy is virtually the single most incredible kid I've ever known. She's good at everything. So imagine you're Andrea... In a way, I relate to her. I was a year behind Becky in school and I remember teachers saying things to me like, "why can't you be more like your sister?" or, "Becky didn't do that." I was compared to her quite a bit and that was hard. But I never hated Becky for it. I was proud of her and being her brother also got me a lot of leeway when it came to things like getting out of class. There was a lot of initial trust because of her.
So I guess I think Andrea must deal with that to some extent. People constantly comparing her to Amy. The reality is something totally different. Andrea and Amy are completely different people. And where Amy pulls ahead of the pack in some areas, Andrea's strengths often clear paths for her Amy would never have. Andrea has a quick and easy laugh. She loves humor and more than laughing, she loves laughing with others. She's extremely social. She has a way of making you feel like you're the only person in the room and that you... YOU... are the single most interesting person she's ever known.
I think she's one of those rare people with the ability to spread happiness through contact. Oh and before I forget to mention... Andrea is smart too. She does well in school and is making a name for herself. Unlike me, she's doing it without getting a bad reputation.
I think she's incredible and I'm so fortunate to know her. I'm glad she's my niece and I'm even more grateful she's my buddy. I still wish I was closer to her. Not just geographically, but friendship wise.
I remember her as a kid. Running around the house in Vegas. She'd never come to me. Now she's driving. It won't be long before I lose her forever. She'll move on with her life and I'll miss my chance to spend time with this beautiful young woman.
For what it's worth, I think she's wonderful. I want to be a confidant. A friend. Someone she can depend on and talk to. As much as I want this, I want her to be happy.
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