Memories with Marnee (Cheers to 39 years!)

Sisters have an understanding of each other that is undefinable to those who are not of the same blood, bonded by the same memories, and fused with similar pasts. Only sisters know what underwear one wore at the age of 7, what things made them cry after school, what the name of your first cabbage patch doll was, and how many mashed potatoes you would eat in one sitting.

Sisters are the only ones who know exactly what you’re talking about when you start off by saying “Remember that time when....”

These are the joys of sisterhood. I was fortunate to be blessed with three. Marnee is the one closest to my age and TODAY is her birthday. Since it’s Sunday and I have the time, she gets this special blog of which I will detail some of my “Remember when”  memories of which I share with this extraordinary human being. I apologize in advance for any embarrassment this may cause. You know I love you.

Remember how we used to cook the best snack on the planet by putting a kettle on the stove and heating up chocolate chips and peanut butter and mixing it with Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes and eating it with a spoon?

Remember how our sheets were so full of static electricity that we would give ourselves shocks by whipping the covers up and down on our bed and creating our own lightening storm? We would try to start a fire but it never worked...

Remember how we didn’t have air conditioning for the majority of our life in that house?!  We had that big loud floor fan blow on us but the air was still hot and we thought we were going to melt? Remember when we finally got air conditioning and thought we entered heaven?!

Remember that time when there was a snake in our bedroom? I’m pretty sure our screams were heard within a 5 mile radius! I’ll never forget Dad trying to find it in my shoes, thinking I was screaming over a black shoe lace and Mom was armed with a garden hoe. Ha!

Remember how we used to unknowingly pollute our lungs with Aqua Net hairspray and then frantically wave our hand in front of our nose as if that would somehow clear the air?

Remember that time Jenny talked us into opening our Christmas presents when Dad was at work and Mom was in Mexico and then we re-wrapped them? Yeah, me neither.

Remember sitting under Mom’s old fashioned hair dryer after our baths and singing into the big hood top of it to make it sound like we were professional singers?


Remember playing tennis on the street? We would hit the ball back and forth for hours and if one of us missed it the person on the side by the hill would have to run all the way down the hill to get it? That was so fun!

Remember watching The Wizard of Oz together EVERY year it was on television and laughing uncontrollably at the lion running through the glass window?

Remember playing those little string games with our fingers? I always won right?

Remember that time you wrote a letter to Emmanuel Lewis (Webster) and he actually wrote you back on floral stationary of his Mom’s? That was real right? I think he said you were one of the only people who wrote him an actual fan letter. That was awesome!

Remember how we used to wake up every morning before school and do that aerobics video with the woman in the blue leotard? I can still remember how it starts and ends!

Remember your obsession with rice cakes? How about your paranoia of germs? I do :)

Remember that phase you went through where you hated your name. Then you wanted to change how it was spelled and have it be M-A-R-N-I-E or M-A-R-N-I. I remember you writing it that way for awhile. Then you got over it and went back to Marnee.

Remember that time at the cabin when we rowed ourselves out in that inflatable boat and got all bit up by those little bugs? I think they were jiggers or chiggers or something and we itched for days. That sucked!!

Remember that time we were fishing with Dad and somehow managed to tangle up our lines under the boat even though they were cast on opposite sides? I thought Dad was going to explode with irritation and never take us fishing again! Oh wait, I think that was the last time he took us fishing...

Remember that time Mom was laying on the dock in the sun and Dad told her there was a leech on her leg? She jumped so high she flew up right off the dock and fell into the water!

Remember the time we were on vacation and met those guys at the beach and we went motorcycling with them even though we knew them for 5 minutes? We didn’t even wear helmets and had no clue if they were serial killers or not. Ha!

Remember when we got our phone in our room. It was pink with white buttons. We thought it was the coolest thing ever. Remember trying to listen in on Jenny’s phone calls? Oh wait, we would never do such a thing.

Remember that time we were strawberry picking at Denny&Janice’s with Grandma and you suddenly came up with the best invention in the world called “The Strawberry picker.” It was some tool that would pick strawberries with this handle contraption and you even drew out this diagram of it and thought it was some million dollar idea. I have a confession: You were so enthusiastic about it that I smiled and nodded along with excitement but the truth is, I didn’t understand what the hell you were talking about and just pretended to think it was brilliant to not hurt your feelings. ‘Bet you forgot all about it anyways seeings how you’re not a millionaire right?

Oh the funny memories of childhood we have!! Aren’t they great?!

The best part is that now there are pieces of you in all of your five children and I can’t wait to meet the one growing in your belly! Sometimes the way Emma’s eyes jet around with excitement or how Caroline gets that look on her face...it makes me feel like I’m a kid with you again. They are you. The fact that you are recreated in all these lovely children makes me feel even luckier. Thank you for being such a baby-maker, it enlightens my life!

But what I most love about you is this: When I look back on our life together, growing up and playing Monopoly and dancing to Madonna songs, watching Who’s The Boss and Growing Pains and eating an entire batch of Mom’s chocolate chip cookies without an ounce of guilt. Between becoming adults and getting married and having kids and all that I can honestly say that every memory I have with you is GOOD. That’s the truth. If we ever fought, I don’t even remember it. The good times obviously out-weighed any bad. I remember laughing. A LOT. Even when you were a nanny out in NY or at college in SD we always wrote each other and called each other and whenever we were on the phone everyone at my apartment would know it was you just by the way I laughed. Nobody could make me lose my breath like you could in laughter. I think we just “get each other” in that special way where nothing can be offensive and everything we feel and say is accepted. Its a sisterly love. So on this special day I wish you the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER (so cliche!) and many more to come. Thank you for being YOU Marnee.

(I’m glad you never changed your name. I think it’s beautiful and unique. Just like you)