More than just friends.

Carrie, me and Debbie this past weekend

Sheri on a trip to visit our Dad, note the Diet Coke in hand.


There are a few things my sisters and I share alike; we all have the same chin and what we call the Rentz forehead. We all have an unhealthy addiction to Diet Coke (and when I say addiction I mean addiction, it's like mothers milk for us). We all have a knack for shopping too much and a strange liking to pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Our sarcastic sense of humors seem to get us into more trouble than we would like to admit and it makes it hard for us to sit in large settings without laughing or giving strange looks to one another.

When we are together we are that obnoxious group of ladies talking too loudly and cackling away at some comment one another has made. We're the ones taking pictures of complete strangers like workers at Carl's Jr's (one employee really liked it) and yes, sadly enough sometimes we're they ones pulling things down in the grocery stores and 'accidentally' kicking it all the way to the checkout stand and we're the ones who'll go into a bakery and poke and prod and ask the workers silly questions (don't worry we usually buy everything we poke and prod at). But don't blame us for acting like teenagers, we grew up with a dad that would do naughty things in front of us all of the time. He would put food under turned over coffee mugs in restaurants, or smear ice cream on the wall at McDonald's because it tasted bad, he would put the hymnal books right where you were sitting during the rest hymn so you'd unexpectedly sit on something hard, and to this day if you go to a movie with him you will definitely get into a popcorn fight. So clearly we are not responsible for our actions when we're together. I would imagine when we're apart we act a tiny bit better just to save our company from total embarrassment, and we probably wouldn't have any friends if we acted this way all of the time.

But the Rentz sisters are not just extremely silly, my sisters are kind, compassionate, empathetic and will to do anything to help out. My sisters are the best.

After my mom died my sister Sheri took me under her wing, I practically lived at her house. She would watch after me and encourage me to be a better person. She taught me the hows on make-up wearing, and housekeeping, she would make me delicious meals, and always make me feel loved and needed in a particularly hard time of life for all of us. She never made me feel like I was intruding on her own family life. I was always welcome there and would seek out her home for an escape from my own. She allowed me to take care of her young son and actually tricked me into thinking I was helping her out. I honestly do not think I would have made it through those last years with out her. She never cast judgement on me, she never tried to prove me wrong, the only thing she did for me was show me complete unconditional love and take upon herself the task of helping to raise a stinky teenager at an unexpected time.

Sheri at Carls Jr.'s

When I was in second grade my sister Sheri would pick me up every Tuesday and give me an allowance of $2.00. Being young this was the greatest thing ever, one because I ALWAYS rode the bus and two because I NEVER got an allowance. I don't know what I did with that allowance but I remember she always wrote it out in a check and I always thought it was so cool. She took me to get my ears pierced when I was 8 (a tradition I keep with my girls) and I remember tagging along on dates with her and getting spoiled...man those were the days. She had a way of always making me feel special.

My sister Carrie is three years older than me. I have many memories of her since she is the sibling closest to me, I remember all of the typical childhood memories of hanging out in tree houses, singing along to songs and dressing up my cats. We had good times together and I'm sure bad times together. My Freshman year we had first period geometry together and she sat right in front of me. That is probably one of my favorite memories of high school. We were late to about 90% of the time and would write our own notes of excuse. The teacher was so used to it that he wouldn't even read the notes. I was the best at signing my fathers signature and had decided to go ahead and see if I could get a reaction out of our teacher. I would write different things daily from "Please excuse Carrie and Jolene from being late, their cow had a calf, or their dog had puppies." to "Please excuse Carrie and Jolene from being late Carrie had diarrhea this morning, or Carrie was too gassy to get here on time." I never once saw him read the notes he would just immediately stick them in his sweater pocket. Man he missed out on some good laughs.

Carrie wasn't just my geometry ally, she was a watchful and loyal sister. She stood up for me when people were mean to me and she had the courage and wisdom to stand up to me when I wasn't doing what was right. She had to take me with her every where to get out of the house (I'm sure it wasn't as fun for her as it was for me) but I have many great memories hanging out with her and her friends. She has always been a great example to me.

After both of us having children we've always lived in different states, this has incurred high phone bills for our poor husbands. In the years past I wouldn't dare to count the millions of hours we've spent on the phone, it's mind boggling. There was a time when our children were toddlers and babes that we would talk for an hour twice a day, I still remember sitting on the couch talking about who knows what and watching my girls play. Carrie has always been a true friend to me.

Debbie is the second born in our family, about 13 years older than I. So I only have a few distinct memories of her when I was young. One of them was receiving a balloon from her through the fence at a high school football game, she was the school mascot, a cougar....GRRRRR! Another was of looking at her in a picture wearing what I thought was a beautiful lavender striped bathing suit in the Cherry Pageant. (We grew up in a town called Cherry Valley). I have heard stories that she was quite the hot commodity in our town. :) I then remember being a flower girl in her wedding and feeling pretty special. The best thing I remember was at the ripe old age of 6 I became an aunt and thought that was the coolest thing in the world.

Though I don't remember much of Debbie when I was young I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her as adults. She lived out of the states or far away for a long time, but she has been in California for a few years now and its been so great. Debbie is probably one of the most patient people I know. She will always pick up my phone calls, and will always listen to me whine and complain. She has a way of always making you feel cared for and that she is truly sorry for whatever it is your going through, whether it's a bad pedicure or a particularly horrible day. She never stops or slows down in her care for others and rarely thinks of herself. She reminds me so much of my mom. Debbie is always very welcoming and is nice enough to always let my crazy family come and destroy her house when we're in California for a visit. Just this spring I was there alone to visit my grandmother and was a little ill since I was in the first trimester of my pregnancy. Debbie took extra good care of me...she had me hop in her bed to take a long nap, made sure I had snacks and pretty much catered to my every need. She truly has a healing hand.

And so it is my sisters come to my side again, as they have my entire life, this time to help with a bout of my darn baby blues that aren't seeming to go away. Carrie and Debbie hopped in a car and rushed up here last weekend just to spend one day with me. They brought with them hugs and love, some silliness too and a gift basket from Sheri (who unfortunately couldn't come, but would have in a second if she could). The basket full of homemade wheat bread, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, mementos of our mom, and other great things, and best of all a card of thoughts and advice on what might help cheer me up. My sisters are the best, they are one of my greatest blessings, there is rarely a day that I go without talking to at least one of them. I only can hope and pray that my three girls will be as good sisters to each other as my sisters are to me. I love you sisters.