Happy Birthday Jill! We all hope you have a great day! Sorry I don't have a chronology of cute pictures of you from birth to present day, but I will try to paint a few pictures from my memory to share...
Some of my earliest memories of you involve you letting me hold your hamster---I'm guessing Mickey? It was at Neal Drive down in the basement. The cage was green with a glass front and a hinged lid on top. I remember you wearing headgear to bed (that is a horrible contraption for braces, for those of you who don't know), and saying good night to you. Was the room pink? ...I must have been like 3 or 4.
At our new house in Reston, I was so excited to share a room with you! Can you imagine what 17 year old girl would want to share a room with a 5 yr. old? You are like the most wonderful person in history! We had jungle wallpaper and a big fake parrot hanging from the ceiling. You had a cool dressing table that you made a skirt for that I loved to hide under. I loved watching you put on make-up and used to try it on when you weren't around. You had this eyeshadow pencil gadget that had lots of colors stacked one on top of each other in a long gold stick so you could take the bottom one and put it on top to use. It was unbelievably fun. It was like those mechanical pencils where you take the lead that is used up and shove it in the top of the pencil to make the next lead come down. Do you remember that? It was one of those wonderful 70's things...
You used to tell me "Timmy the Mouse" stories at night that you would make up. You could probably make a fortune if you remember any! I had such a great life! You did a lot of sewing and made me outfits sometimes to match yours. You also made me clothes for my dolls. I was so sad when you left for college, but you always kept in touch and sent me cards that called me your "twin sister". I loved that! I remember once I took a picture of you to show my teacher, Mr. Locke, and he said that you looked like a movie star! I felt so proud!
I definitely remember the night you called with Dan to say you were engaged! We were watching the Sound of Music on TV and Mom completely freaked out! It was great to have you move back nearby when you got married, and of course, I loved having all the little kids around.
You have always been there to listen, support me, and be my friend. My whole life I have always looked up to you as an amazing example of well, everything. You are a one in a million mom, wife, homemaker, musician, writer, costumer, and blogger. What a blessing to have someone like you to pattern my life after. I hope you have had a terrific day! I love you! Happy Birthday, Jill!
7 comments:
Jan, you are getting really good with these posts! I do have the best mom, don't I? I love all your memories of my mom. It's fun to picture you and my mom kinda like me and Heidi. It's a similar age difference. I'm glad she had you too. Sisters are the best.
Mom, happy happy birthday. You are the best and deserve the best. Most people grow up coming up with a list of things they want to do different from their parents...I always grew up knowing that I wanted to be exactly like my mom, if I can live up to those standards. You are the perfect example for a mother, and I hope to pattern my life after yours. Thanks for always being there and putting us first, and making me feel special. I've never doubted your love for me and for everyone else in the family. You always made it known so I never had to doubt. You're the best. I love you.
Happy birthday!
I love these memories, Jan! It is so fun to think of my mom as a room-sharing, headgear-wearing sister. Your turn came a few years later, Jan, when a certain niece would have sleep overs in your room and ask you to paint her nails everyday.
Mom, you really are the best. Angie said it so well -- how we all feel. Happy birthday, Mom! I love you!
Great to read Jan's experience as the little sister! We all think Mom is a superstar. I don't think I can even come close in this little comment to saying how special she is. It's like we won the lottery to have this mom as our mom. I love you, Mom!
This was so fun to read!! Thank you Jan! I love thinking of my mom as a fun big sister who made up stories for you and "let" you use her makeup. She does look like a movie star! Perhaps she's such a great mom because she got training by being with you :) ha ha.
Mom, we love you! You really are the greatest. I always look back on my childhood and think, "I had the BEST time...I'm so glad my mom let me do all those things." I know I could demolish several rooms to make forts and probably never cleaned them up. I am truly grateful for your patience with me!
Happy Birthday! So glad we got to spend it with you :)
This is the best birthday present EVER! Wow, thanks, Jan! And thanks to all my thoughtful comment posters. (Is that what you are? Posters?)
I must say that the best thing about me is the people I've managed to be surrounded with all my life. YOU!!!!
It was great growing up as Jan's big sister, but maybe that's a story that can appear in this space around January 30. I do remember that cool 70's makeup! And our great bedroom with the fake parrot! Those were the days!
Thank you, thank you. This has been such a happy birthday for me, and these words have been a particularly lovely surprise. I think all of you are the greatest. I'm one lucky mom/sister/daughter/aunt. I love you all.
I just have to say that another favorite moment of this birthday was Megan wishing me a "Happy Grandma!" on the phone yesterday.
OK, I just can't leave this alone. That WAS a great hamster on Neal Drive. It WAS Mickey, short for "Mesocricetus auratus" which is the scientific name for a plain old golden hamster. (Not the fancy teddy bear or dwarf ones of today.) He had the coolest 70's cage. Sleek aqua-green metal with a glass front. That hamster used to sit in the pocket of my quilted night robe and go to sleep there. I'm sure he was tame enough for you to hold, and he never bit anyone....
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