Siblings @ MindSay

and mothers. I surely do love mine!!

            Yesterday was my sister’s 21^st birthday. Fortunately, most of her friends were in Vegas on a trip she couldn’t afford to take which left just a few folks to get her smashed at the bar last night. And because I love my sister so much, I agreed to be her designated driver. Basically I dropped her off, sat at my brother’s house until one in the morning and then took her home (I did watch “3:10 to Yuma” while I waited and I highly recommend it).

            Moving on to the present moment, I’m trying to decide what to wear to my sister’s sister-in-law’s bridal shower (I know, why the hell am I going?) and eating oatmeal. I have no idea how I got roped into doing this party, but I did. Like most things with my sister you aren’t asked to help/do something, you are just expected to be there and, in this case, to bring three dozen cinnamon rolls.

            So my "advice" for today goes like this: If you are a married woman with in-laws and siblings, don’t expect them to get along, and sure as hell don’t force them to be around each other.

I know I said I was leaving for a while.  But I did some more negoiation last night after the kids went to bed.  I can keep my morning comp time from 6-7:30pm.  I won't blog much but I will be around:D

 

Now here are some of the pictures of the "Pagan" Children at the Catholic First Communion.  All my "Pagan" friends got a HUGE kick out of buying a rite of passage gift for pagan kids going through a Christian rite of passage!  I find it funny because a lot of my "Pagan" friends in the area do send their kids to one of the various Parochial schools around their towns or the city.  We aren't fools.  You want the best education for your kids you grit your teeth, teach your children about various religions, if they want to partake or if it is a family thing make them till a certain point, and tell them they can be open if they want but to use their heads about opening their mouth while at school and with certain ppl!  Anyway here are the pictures

 

1.  DeLaney and Coltin outside in front of the Church sign after Mass.  A tad bit chilly but I still made them do it!

 

2.  The Candle Blessing. of all three kids, the alter boy (brother to the other lil girl getting first communion), and Father Mike.

 

3 and 4.  DeLaney and Coltin after Mass

 

5.  Father Mike, Sisters Ellen Marie, and Francies with all three kids.

 

6.  The First Communon Kids for our Parish.

 

Couple side notes:

 

The dress DeLaney is in, was MY First Communion Dress.  According to my sister, it wasn't "in style" for my neice to wear at hers and what was funny a lot of the girls at my neice's First Communion 2 years ago, also wore their Mom's, Grandma's, Auntie's, or Cousin's First Communion Dress and if my sister would have got the stick out of her ass and let my neice wear mine, she would have fit in better then her "in style brand new dress" that my sister bought her!  Coltin fought me on wearing his bowler hat into the church but thanks to Papo and Daddy, they convience him NOT to!

 

And last but not least, the lil girl that got First Communion with DeLaney and Coltin and the Alter Boy, are siblings also, and they are cousins to DeLaney and Coltin via Randy!  There isn't a lot of family resemblence but that is what happens when your a 4th or 5th cousin, but if you look closely at the bottom facial features of DeLaney and M (the other lil girl) you can tell they each got their Great Grandma's facial features.  Their Great Grandmother's were sisters!

 

 

I was born in Riverside, California on October 26, 1980.  Typical beginning of a biography, no?  Well, I was born to a nineteen year old mother and a twenty-three year old father who already had a daughter that turned four just days after my birth.  The only details I possess of my birth is the fact that my mother had major back labor with me.

Apparently, the woman grew rather brave during her sixth month of pregnancy and wagged a finger in her new (yet not so new) husband's face in the midst of a heated argument.  The end result happened to be a hard punch in the stomach that left my mother on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.  Nobody can tell me what the argument was about.  Perhaps they remember all too well but just aren't willing to share the details with me.  I should let it go at that but I'm having a little difficulty believing it holds no importance of who I am.  The only ideas I have on the matter are that my father was being squeezed by fear of having another child and reacted or he believed we weren't his and was overcome by a sudden onslaught of anger or jealousy.  Of course, these are just speculations on my part.  A source once told me that I lost my twin because of this argument.  Had he (I truly feel it would have been a he) hadn't been positioned where he was, I likely wouldn't be typing away right now.  I can't really say how reliable the source is, however, as this same source has always painted my father in an ugly light.

My father had originally come from somewhere in Ohio.  From what I gather, he moved to California with his family after his father passed away during is teenage years.  My paternal grandmother was portrayed as a woman who chain smoked and nearly constantly drank her booze.  She passed away of some form of cancer when I was two.  My father was very close to her and apparently became very depressed and withdrawn after her death.

 

So ... our soldier girl has been home for the past two weeks.  It was supposed to be "Hometown Recruiting" duty, but they failed to inform her that she would need her own transportation.  (Something about that doesn't compute.  Army business - my car??? But that's another story.) 

 

Anyway ... it mutated into leave.  As an observant parent, I enjoy watching the interaction between my kids - I always have.  Now that they are all adults, it has changed, but it still fascinating.  I mean, the first born is still the first born, ya know?  lol  And the Boy-child is still the Boy-child, and of course, the baby will always be the baby.  While the girls were growing up, they were continuously at each others' throats (6 yrs between them), but finally they have become friends ... although they still push each others' buttons from time to time.  ;) 

 

I have enjoyed their interactions and wrestlings this past two weeks.  I have to go on record, though, and say that I abhor the first week or so after soldier-baby leaves home.  It is sooooo dreary & quiet!  She's the glue ... the silly putty of our family ... and it doesn't get easier to let her go ...

 

Last night (and probably tonight) all of us pile into my big bed along with the two cats and spotted dog to watch American Idol.  Whatever one might think of the show, it has become a "family" thing for us.  Even with our soldier-baby flying out at ... uh-um, at 0630 tomorrow (We'll have to leave the house between 0430 - 0500! Lord, have mercy!) , every time it is on, we'll be thinking of her - and she will watch when she can ... and text or call back & forth etc.  A family time ... :)  Ain't family GREAT!!!  :D

 

~ B