Jacqueline Elizabeth Cadle was born February 11, 1988 and she was my first shot at being a big sister. Because we grew up in the south, we always had to wear matching dresses, hairbows, and shoes. We didn’t look much alike with my straight hair and her super curly hair but those outfits would have made you look twice.
As we grew up, Jackie and I often did not get along. We were constantly bickering and my mom had had enough. We were at a neighbor’s house with lots of sporting equipment. We were fighting over who could use the plastic baseball bat. Finally, mom was so frustrated with refereeing us, mom let Jackie and I take our frustrations out on one another with those baseball bats. And boy did we go to town hitting each other, screaming and shouting. We were all shocked- even mom. That’s what big sisters do…. beat the crap out of her little sister with a plastic baseball bat.
One time, Jackie went to visit our neighbor, Leonna Printup, at her home. I was out riding my bike and noticed a long snake draped over the railing of Leonna’s house with its head resting on her front porch mat. I raced home to tell my mom so she could call Leonna’s house and warn Jackie of the snake. Otherwise, she may have been bitten when leaving Leonna’s house. That’s what big sisters do… keep their little sister from being bit by a snake.
As Jackie got older, she often followed in the footsteps of me, her older sister. We served as FCCLA state officers together. But after I went to college, Jackie set a new Cadle sister record by becoming the FCCLA state President. I was super proud! That’s what big sisters do… cheer on their little sister to new accomplishments.
On one of the best days of my life, Jackie was standing next to me as my maid of honor while I married Peck. I had chosen sunflowers for all of our bouquets. Mine was especially large and it was HEAVY. It weighed so much, that my arms were shaking while the preacher rambled on through his “short” homily. I made the decision to hand the bouquet to Jackie who gracefully took it with a smile. That’s what big sisters do… get their little sister to help when things get too heavy.
Jackie was at the hospital when I had JB and she was in love with him from that moment on. Although JB doesn’t get to see her much, she has a special place in his heart. He loves reading the inscriptions of the many books that she and Ryan have given him as gifts. He likes to see photos of his “cousin puppy”, Sadie, as she travels all over the country. But what he loves most of all is her love and affection when we visit. She offers the perfect balance of love and discipline that each little boy needs. He loves playing in the yard with Jackie and Sadie. They all laugh hysterically as they throw the frisbee and run around together. That’s what good aunts do… they make great memories with their nephew.
On Jackie’s big day, I got to stand beside her as her Matron of Honor as she married her prince, Ryan Padilla. Everyone knows that I love my husband and Sam, but Ryan was the best addition to our family. He balances Jackie out so much. He has a never ending love for her and gives her so much love, affection and affirmation. Jackie blossomed when She became Mrs Padilla and we were all thrilled to see her so happy.
Jackie and I have spent lots of time together outside of our home state of Georgia including London and Seattle. But my favorite trip was to visit her and Ryan in Alaska. Jackie and I spent several days together exploring the scenic beauty of Alaska, catching up, laughing as we experienced new things, taking tons of photos, and rocking out to Taylor Swift driving through the Turnagain. It was fun to see a snapshot of Alaska life- her gym/social club, eating lots of fresh crab meat, hearing about her job, and seeing where she had spent a previous summer doing missions work. It was a fantastic trip for many reasons. That’s what sisters do… have fun together.
So today, on Jackie’s 30th birthday, I wrote these words full of love and memory. I’m proud of the woman you’ve become. You are a loving wife, kind sister and wonderful aunt. Cheers to you, the most STRIKING Cadle sister, today and everyday!
love, brookie
I bought the boots right before this trip because I knew it was going to rain a lot… as it does in Ireland. I was nervous pulling the trigger so close to a trip and taking up valuable luggage real estate for shoes that I had never worn before. Thankfully, the shoes did their job and kept my feet warm and dry. It was POURING down rain on football game day (Boston College vs Georgia Tech). We had to hike through Trinity College to wait in line to catch a shuttle to the stadium, then march to the stadium… all in soaking wet conditions. 
We were prepared to continue to be soaked DURING the game. (Mind you we had JB with us too) and I almost cried when we got in the stadium and we learned that our seats were covered and we were dry! The game was incredible and drinking cold Irish cider while watching college football is also a pretty nice thing too!
Of course, this was the first time the bean boots got to meet snow. I prepared for this by buying boot liners and wore thick wool socks (thankfully I bought a half size up so they would fit) and my feet stayed warm the whole time. That is pretty impressive considering the temps were between 8-28 degrees during the my visit. The boots got to watch the sunset over Denali, hike along the Turn Again south of Anchorage, and visit a rescued moose. The boots also got to wear Yaks which were awesome in preventing me from busting my butt on icy conditions. (The boot soles are rubber and can be slippery/dangerous on wet/icy conditions).
Denver- December 2016
Claire and I have so much in common. We are both the oldest of three girls and raised outdoors- fishing, playing in the woods, and working in the garden. Both of our fathers are outdoorsmen who were lucky enough to end up with three daughters. They taught us to fish, get dirty, and love being outside. We both love cold beer, good food, Jesus, the ocean, and spending time with our family and friends. 
Claire’s house was being remodeled for a tv show in July 2015 and she had to move her family out for two weeks. I invited her and the boys to join JB and I at my family’s C shack on the GA coast. I thought I knew her pretty well, but vacationing with someone makes you get to know them really well. Thankfully, in this case, that was a good thing. I had expected Claire to be like most of my friends; to have never seen a crab trap before, tossed a cast net nor know much about fishing. Instead, she could identify many more fish than me and can throw an 8 foot cast net (I can only throw a 5 footer). I learned that many of her childhood vacations were to south Florida for fishing and crabbing. Her love of crabs became apparent that week with her help in not only catching them but also in cleaning them (aka the dirty work). The night we ate the crabs, we both sat at the table for an hour drinking beer and raving about how good the crabs were. Our boys were running all around us like crazy but we could not lose focus until all the crabs were eaten. That would have been a total sin. 
Claire is a runner. And she is fast. We “trained” together for my second half marathon. She’d run pushing a stroller (I didn’t have one) and was still kind enough to slow down and allow me to keep up. We’ve done numerous races “together”. Claire is always standing at the finish line waiting on me and cheering me on. It always feels good to have someone at the finish but Claire makes you feel like you were the best runner there- even if 15,000 people have already finished before you (this is true for my races).
Claire is an encourager. As we all know, life has its ups and downs. Claire always sees the glass as half full. When you are feeling down, she helps lift you up. When you want to talk or vent, she is always ready and able to listen. The year or so around Luma starting was very difficult for me. Lots of transitions and loneliness with my husband needing to work so much. Claire provided so much encouragement during this time and wisdom. She has been a big part of helping me through the start-up widow life.
Claire loves my son like another child. She gives him so much encouragement, love and direction. He loves play dates at her house and she always has the best snacks. Since JB was gluten free most of his life, she always made sure he had a special sweet treat at her boys’ birthday parties or other events. Making sure he didn’t feel left out was always so sweet of Claire. 
Claire is a busy bee. She goes hard from the (early) moment she wakes up until the end. She is her own housekeeper and has a well executed plan of cleaning the same part of her house on the same day each week to keep up with things. She will push a double stroller with two boys in it on a 4 mile trek to drop one off at preschool. At 37.5 weeks pregnant with twins, Claire was out walking the 4th of July neighborhood parade. Later, she went home to “rest” but still ended up making a homemade flag cookie cake. That pretty much sums it up.
Claire is so humble. She does what she is called to do without wanting any attention. She was a VBS co-director this year and didn’t want any public attention for her hard work. If you give her a compliment, she is a bit hesitant to accept it and likely to respond with “you are sweet.” If I had to guess, she is probably a bit embarrassed to be reading this post about herself.
Claire is the most amazing mom. She always has some fun outing planned for her boys and makes fun out of the most mundane tasks- like grocery shopping. Her patience (especially as a mom of two little guys) runs deep and she rebounds quickly. I envy her resilience and out pouring of love in situations where I’d probably just give up and walk away. On another family vacation, my husband admired her patience. It’s this amount of love and grace that made God know she’d be the perfect mom to not only two boys but twin girls too. Of all my friends, I truly believe that Claire has the positivity and strength to not only “get by” as a mom of four children aged 5 and under- but to also thrive. 
“At this stage in motherhood life, getting to Sunday School and “big church” is difficult with a loud, rambunctious 4 year old son. Thankfully, this communion service has helped me fill this church void each week. Susan has consistently filled it with uplifting and thought provoking homilies. Her commitment to recruiting others to serve and involving attendees in participating does not go unnoticed. I feel this weekly service is one of the most intimate opportunities at our church. I’m grateful for her leadership in starting the service and continuing to make it a priority.
Just after our third wedding anniversary, I felt my heart starting to change. It was quiet at first but slowly got louder and louder. I didn’t want to tell Peck about my new found sentiment because I was worried he might not be on board. It took me a few months to finally fess up to my feelings. It was June 2011 and we were wrapping up a trip in Europe. Holding hands, we walked down a beautiful old street in Vienna. I told him that God had been changing my heart and I thought I might want to be a mommy one day- in the not so near future. It was an emotional moment that my sweet husband embraced so well. He hugged me and told me what a wonderful mom I’d be and that he’d love to see me become one. I don’t know why I was afraid to tell him. That man is a saint!
To our surprise, several months later, we found out that I was pregnant. I remember taking the home test and being convinced there was no way I was pregnant as the timer ticked down. This was just a necessary routine before leaving for a bachelorette party weekend while Peck went to San Fran. If I was pregnant, I wanted to know before I subjected myself to a weekend of margaritas, Jell-O shots, and other bad decisions.
As I think about Mother’s Day today, I also think of my mom friends. The women who I get to share the ups and downs of being a mom with each week. The amount of respect I have for them is ginormous. They care for their families, working hard and sacrificing frequently- but still have enough love to share with me and my son. I’m grateful for their friendship, encouragement, and love today… and every day.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms, step moms, foster moms, fur baby moms, mom friends, and grandmas!
I got married at 23 and Alex was only 14. Still a baby. She was a wonderful bridesmaid in my wedding. It took some time, but she and Peck became good buds. Thankfully, she
She along with Jackie and my mom, were at the hospital when JB was born and immediately began loving on him too.
was because my dad was walking her down the aisle and I love my dad so much and appreciate him working so hard to raise three daughters. The other reason was because I felt like my baby was getting married.
