Memory Lane Monday- My Baby Sister

Yeah, my baby sister would probably kill me for posting this image of her from back in the day, but Shhh...she'll never know seeing as how she NEVER gets online anymore these days and even if she did, she wouldn't pop over here to check my blog. LOL

This is the baby sister, ONLY sister, I remember holding on that drive home from the hospital when I was 3, sitting in the front seat between my parents. Same baby sister who was the bane of my existence when I started kindergarten because, even though my Momma promised to keep her OUT of my Barbies while I went 1/2 day to school, I still came home to naked headless dolls scattered all over our bedroom floor.

It goes without saying that we didn't always love each other- we "tolerated" each other as best we could. I mean, sure we had fun rolling down the hallway in the big cardboard barrel that usually stayed in our shared closet and housed all our bits and pieces of toys. Or when we lined the hallway with pillows and "hopped" or "rolled" our way across them. Hard telling how many sets of dirty footprints my Mom painted over by the time we got old enough to stop doing that! LOL Or how we used our set of encyclopedias more for Barbie's staircase than for research. They made an awesome spiral staircase to the second floor of the "Barbie Bookcase Townhouse" though. ;)

We were rowdy, now that I think back on it. We'd take the mattress off the bed and tilt it so we could use it as a slide, flip the living room chair over so we could sit in it and pretend to drive it like a car. I wonder if she still remembers that weird green "rocking" chair we had. It was a funky 60's or 70's vinyl floral pattern and silvery button tacking that was so popular. I've tried to find an image, but can't find one of the specific chair, though I'm thinking it would have been something along the lines of a vinyl upholstered swivel lounge chair. It didn't have normal chair legs but those ones that look like a plus sign and if we rocked it just right it would tilt. Our mom HATED that.

There did come a point where sharing a room became such a hair-pulling experience, my mom allowed me to take her sewing room and turn it into my bedroom. This came about when I was a 11, shortly after the numerous Barbie pages I so lovingly colored and hung up on the wall got ripped down by my sister. It was the final straw. I moved out- and across the hall. She didn't want me to at first, but after a while, I think we both saw that it was a better option than having to share our space.

Of course, having my own room didn't put an end to her snooping. She'd still seek out my diary/journal with the nose of a blood-hound and read it- then tease me endlessly over things she read. Of course, I gave her a hard time of things too when she wouldn't leave me alone, and I was probably a lot more vicious in my attacks, but I guess those little squabbles are forgiven after all these years. Here's hoping.

The best times were always chasing fireflies after dark or riding our bikes to the park, early Christmas mornings when we'd get up way before light to sit in front of the sparkling tree and try to figure out what we'd gotten in each gift-wrapped box. The many nights we sat up watching cheesy old B movies or Kids in the Hall or making up song parodies and laughing hysterically till we cried. Much as we fought, I believe we make up for it by the good times we have when we can now just sit and reminisce about growing up, about heartaches we've each had and knowing we do have each other, even if we DO still get under each others skin from time to time.

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li
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If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child. ~Linda Sunshine
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I'm smiling because I am your sister & laughing because there is nothing you can do about it.
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MY sister, has the BEST sister in the WORLD!

Have a wonderful Monday and if you have a sister or sisters, let them know how much you love them today and have a few good laughs about the old days.