The day my sister was born: This is the very first memory I have of being alive.
I was almost three years old when my sister, Beth, was born. My Dad doesn't usually cook, but since my Mom gave birth, Dad had to step up to make breakfast for me. Scrambled eggs are one of the few things my Dad knows how to make. At the time, I did NOT like scrambled eggs. I remember watching my Dad make the scrambled eggs and either saying or thinking, "Dad, I do not like scrambled eggs. I don't understand why you're making them for me because I will not eat them." Being only three years old, I doubt I succinctly expressed my issues with the meal to my father, and either threw a fit or ate them (because I was such a good daughter, of course). I slipped back into unconsciousness after this event so I don't remember how the meal ended.
The day I broke my sister's arm: This is both Dad's and my least favorite memory, but I will share it with you anyway.
First, I must preface this story with another story from earlier the same day. During the summer after kindergarten, the Slip n' Slide made its debut at our house, and let's just say it was my FAVORITE THING EVER. I used it so much, I wore holes into it. I was always trying to find new ways to go down it because the usual (safe-ish) way got old after a while. To spice things up, I decided to go down, palms up. You can imagine where this is going. As fate would have it, my middle finger got caught in one of the holes, bending my finger backwards and fracturing a bone in my hand. It started to turn purple and swell up, but my parents figured I had just bruised it (I guess?).
Now, to the rest of the story. At our old house in rural Virginia, we had a large front yard that was the perfect size for playing baseball (at least for a six-year old). My sister and I loved to play in the evenings, and even though I had a fractured, swollen hand, I decided to play anyway. No pain, no gain, right? I was pitching, my Dad was in the outfield, and Beth was up to bat. Tossed her a ball and she smacked it towards Dad. She's running the bases, and Dad throws it to me. I chase her to home, and as she slides in, I try to tag her out with my foot. Snap! went her arm like a twig. She starts crying like crazy, I start crying like crazy, and my Dad is freaking out. Off to the hospital! X-rays confirm her arm is broken, and while we're there, the doctor checks out my hand. X-rays confirm it's fractured. My parents are asked to leave the room, and the doctor asks a social worker to come in and ask my sister and I what the heck happened to us. We're both still balling. I feel so guilty, and we tell her exactly what happened - me explaining how I broke my hand on the Slip n' Slide (you can't make that up) and then how I am a jerk of a sister and broke Beth's arm. They bought the story, and Dad took us home. Beth was the center of attention with her cute, little cast and her story about how her sister broke her arm.
And Beth has never let me forget it.
One more story that I did not include in the original post: When I was in 7th grade, I was having a hard time making friends, you know, the usual teen angst. My Dad decided to go to work a bit later than usual and give me a ride to school. I was more than happy to ride with him instead of take the bus (I HATED riding the bus, but that's a story for another time). He knew something was up and that I seemed kinda down. So instead of give me a pep talk, he decided to start singing "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story. It was just about the most hilarious thing my Dad has ever done, and I had the song stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Every time I hear that song, I remember that time in the car with my Dad.
Some other memories include:
• We would play on the playground at DuPont
• You took me to Father-Daughter days at DuPont
• I ate way too much ice cream at a DuPont carnival
• We fed the ducks at the Gypsy Hill Park
• We sat out cookies for Santa (i.e., Dad) every year.
• The snow piled high outside and we made snow cream
• I ran into the only tree in our yard while riding a sled
• We traveled to Virginia Tech for football games
• “That’s all I need…and this lamp.”
• We went to Staunton Braves baseball games
• “It made me so mad!”
• We watched the A’s play in an amazing game at the Oakland Coliseum
Happy birthday, Dad!
