Being a twin means having your best friend right beside you.

God has blessed me with having a twin sister. Karen Lynn Vidra. I don't know if He thought I would be lonely...so He created someone who would stick beside me through thick and thin, good times and bad.

She and I had a rough start to life. We were born three months prematurely and were not expected to live. Both of us were tiny, my twin sister more so than me. (I've always been the bigger one...she's 4'10" inches tall, 120 pounds; I'm 5'3" and weigh 160.)

Growing up, our two oldest sisters and brother were kind of mean to us. We didn't have anyone to confide in, but we had each other. (We still don't get along with our two oldest sisters; our brother has been trying to develop a better relationship with us.)

We were together every moment of our lives until 1980, when I moved to Utah to be with my brother. I was gone a year; it was hard on both of us, especially my twin. In 1983, I decided to join the USAF, to better myself; I was stationed in Texas. My Air Force career lasted two years, but I decided to stay in Texas. My twin was still in Ohio, where we were born and raised.

We may have been apart physically, but emotionally, we were as close as ever. We called each other on the phone every week, we wrote letters back and forth, and either Karen would take her vacation and visit me, or I would take mine and visit her at least once a year. It would be fun to be together, but parting always left us in tears.

Three years ago, we decided that we couldn't be apart anymore. At that time, we were apart 17 long years. That was too long...we couldn't handle it anymore. So, I moved her down to Texas to be with me. Now, we're together again. We live together, we work together, whenever you see me, you'll usually see Karen. Shadows. Stuck together like glue.

And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Sure, there are times we drive each other crazy, but the good times together far outweigh the bad. Karen's and my interests are pretty close, but there are differences...I like country music, so does Karen. I like the more progressive type, she's a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist...the more traditional, the better. I like movies, so does Karen. I like pretty much anything, with few exceptions; Karen likes more family oriented films without a lot of adventure, violence or cussing. I like TV shows; so does Karen. Where the Weather Channel, Discovery, the Learning Channel, CNN, the news and "ER" are what I enjoy watching, Karen likes cartoons, Nickelodeon (spelling?) or TV sitcoms. I like reading, so does Karen. (We're both "avid, rabid bookworms.") Whereas I like reading mysteries, fiction, true -life, biographies, just about anything, Karen prefers young adult or children's books...which drives me nuts. That's her choice, that's what she likes to read...I'll just have to put up with it. Why? 'Cause she puts up with ME!!!!! And what I like to do!!!!!!

The only thing that's a disadvantage about being a twin? Since we're fraternal twins (but close enough to look alike) and since I am the bigger one, everyone thinks that my twin sister is actually my daughter. "Boy," someone will say, "Your daughter sure looks a lot like you." MRRR-RRROOOWWWW, I'll say, "That's NOT my daughter; that's my twin; I'm ONLY 11 minutes older than her." There they'll be, apologizing all over the place. (The worst mis-guess of our age? We were at an amusement park in Ohio on our 38th birthday, went to one of those "guess your age" booths? The guy said that my twin sister was 22 years old...she loved it. He then said to me, "Mom, you're about 44." MRRR-RRROOOWWWWW!!! "I get every prize in your booth," is what I told him.)