Beer and wine with Sister

A couple of weeks ago, our town hosted the annual Kennett Brewfest, the largest event sponsored by Historic Kennett Square. JG has attended in the past, and we have a little get-together afterward, but this year, I was knowledgeable enough to attend in my own right. About 20 friends met at our house to walk over — a nice bonus not to pay for parking — including my sister and her husband! I outfitted everyone with pretzel necklaces for cleansing our palates, and the cool, overcast day was perfect for sipping beer out of tiny mugs.

The Brewfest hosted 91 (!) breweries this year, and that was so big that it was basically impossible to stay together. Clumps of people from our group spiraled out to different vendors, and we all drifted around for 4 hours, asking what everyone had tried and seeing how many pretzels people had left. We sipped and chatted and caught up. Vendors walked by with everything on a stick: soft pretzels, hot dogs, corn dogs, and thick-cut bacon. It was all very festive and fall-like.

The day of the Brewfest, JG realized that almost no one who was coming would know each other; the 2 of us were the common bond. A lot of people met each other at the festival, including being introduced to my sister. I always like seeing people experience The R&R Sister Act for the first time. I mean, everyone pretty much knew that I have a sister, but the full force of that fact is not apparent until we are there, in front of you, in person, talking at a million miles a minute and laughing very loudly in exactly the same way.

After the festival, we walked back to the house for sandwiches, soft pretzels, and Georgetown Cupcakes! Yet another reason to add to the very long list of why it is awesome for my sister to come to events, people.

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Over the weekend, my sister and brother-in-law held a wine-tasting party at their condo in DC. We’d been there before, right after they moved in, but they’ve upgraded some of their furniture, gotten the closets outfitted, and hired painters since then, so the place looks a lot different. JG and I got there in the afternoon and helped with party prep before people arrived, and it was so much fun! Everyone brought wine to share, and the food spread was excellent. My sister is kind of an involved hostess, so she was busy flitting around, making sure people were fine, refilling condiments, and such, so that we didn’t really get to talk during the party. But that’s fine. It’s fun to watch her in her environment and chat with all of their friends.

After the bulk of the guests headed home around 10, the rest of us went downstairs to the bar on the ground floor (yes, my sister lives above a bar, and it is awesome) for the next round of festivities. Then, my sister and I got to talk a little bit more. We sat at a pub table, ate a little pizza, and assure her that, yes, everyone had a good time.

I love how my sister and I have become really close friends as we’ve settled into our respective versions of adulthood. In the past 5 weeks, we’ve been able to hang out 3 times, which is an all-time record. I mean, we chat all the time electronically, but spending time together in person is really rare, so I’ve really enjoyed this fall spree of sisterhood.

Also! Today is my sister and brother-in-law’s first anniversary! Hurray! I should also note that this means it is also the first anniversary of her crying at the sight of Teddy. Happy Teddiversary!

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