Answering machines, cucumbers and Liberty University

Ok.
Weird title, right?
Hang with me.

Tomorrow morning, my sweet and beautiful 2-year-old niece will be going off to college.
Oh wait...She is not 2-years-old anymore.
Well that's what it seems like.

I can remember it as clear as anything:

I was at Liberty  and I would come back from my classes to see the red light blinking on my answering machine.
My roomies and I would all dive over each other to see who had gotten a message...
And I would hear this sweet little voice -

"Auntie!" Then my sister's voice in the background saying - say adorable!
"dubbable"
Say cucumber!
"coocumbah"

And then I would hit replay. Again. and again.
That was my first niece.
The niece I swore I would love, and spoil and be there for.
Forever.

Somehow, we got through the nickname I earned of "Auntie no-no"
Since she would slap my face everytime I picked her up and would have to take her little hand and say "no, no!"

And all of a sudden, right before my very eyes is this beautiful, sweet and amazing...
woman.

I don't know how it all happened, but it did.

I have loved her since the second I saw her.
I am beyond proud of her.
She is smart...but doesn't let it make her arrogant.
She is beautiful...but doesn't let that get to her head.
She is serious about life and driven...but doesn't let that stop her from being silly and having fun.
She is godly...and you can tell that by the choices she makes.
She is incredibly giving...and will be the first one to offer to buy you a coffee.

I am so excited for her that she will be spending this next year at one of my favorite places.
I like to think that she chose Liberty because her favorite auntie went there.
(please don't tell me otherwise, I am happy in my ignorance)

I can not wait to see the way God is going to use her.
She is a go-getter.
She is an incredible evangelist and I have seen her lead so many people to Christ.
She is stubborn and independent and knows what she wants.
I honestly don't think she would let anything get in her way.

I take my job as an auntie seriously.
I want my  nieces and nephews to know that I am will always. always. always have their back.
I always wanted to have an auntie who was like a bff.
Who would spoil me, love me and be there for me for everything. forever.

God gave me an amazing auntie by marriage (actually before I was even married!)
When I was at college, missing my family and getting stressed out by a lack of quarters for laundry and studying overload...
Jackie became my auntie.
She let me come over for dinner, do laundry, talk, she listened and we laughed...a lot.
She was amazing.
She still is.
I remember many days I would go to her house and she would ask me if I had any new Brianna stories...she just cared about every aspect of my life.
I love that about her.
She is still in Virginia, and I know she will take good care of my Bri Bri.

I will always be that aunt for my Bri.
That crazy auntie that will always have her back, and will defend her to the end.

I am so grateful that God blessed my life with Brianna.
I am so proud of her and pray that she will continue to serve God with her life in everything she does.

Gone are the days of answering machines, and I'm pretty sure no one has asked her to say cucumber for quite a while.

But she will do my proud at my alma mater...
and she is still adorable.

Love you Bri!