I have. There's another family who from junior high on, we did everything with. Holidays, vacations- you name it. They had four kids (three boys, one girl), and my brother/me were all around the same age so it was awesome. My extended family is in Canada, and theirs is in Michigan so we became each other's "families".

Their daughter was five years older than -basically like my older sister. The last time I saw her, I was in the Boston St Patrick's Day Parade, and she was hanging out of the crowd, drinking green beer screaming my name.

We lost her on the first flight into the twin towers. It does not get easier. It took six years for Homeland Security to positively ID part of her and return it to her family. To this day I go on media blackout before and after 9/11 so I don't see images in my newsfeed, and I find it difficult to even talk about. The 15 year anniversary was one of the hardest, because I'm really starting to realize just how young she was (she always seemed so grown up and mature to me); and I'm getting to do all the things she'll never get to.