Six Weird Things: Family Edition
I've done this meme before, recently even. But the lovely Christine of Empowerment 4 Women has tagged me, and I just can't say no to her. Have you seen that site? It's got lots of interesting things going on, and they've even got a few calls for writing submissions posted. If you're a writer, or a woman, and you haven't read Empowerment 4 Women, you should check it out.
Hard to believe I can easily think of six MORE weird things about me, huh? Don't answer that.
1. My Dad joined AA when I was four years old, and remained sober until he died when I was 28. He was very active in the program, especially in the early years, and my parents often took me to meetings with them. I went to A LOT of meetings growing up. I found them as entertaining as going to a movie, and never knew if a meeting would be raucously funny, a tear jerker or a tense drama. And, they always served donuts! I don't remember being bored, just suffocated by cigarette smoke. Sometimes I miss going to them.
2. Because of the aforementioned meeting attendance, as a teen and young adult, AA slogans were sort of my "religion." Maybe you've heard a few of them: Easy does it, first things first, live and let live, let go and let God, one day at a time, but for the grace of God. Many transfer well to non-sober life, I must say.
3. I am the youngest of four kids: a brother who is 15 years older than me, a sister who is 14 years older, and a brother who is 5 1/2 years older. My sister got married when I was 3, at the tender age of 17, and my oldest brother joined the Air Force and moved to Nevada around that time. This was also about the time my Dad got sober. So my older siblings lived with an alcoholic dad and an enabling mom, and I, well, didn't. For all of these reasons, my family is more like two different families. For a long time, I saw my older two siblings more as aunt and uncle figures than siblings.
4. I became an aunt at age 5. By age 10, I had four neices and nephews. I have so many memories of them growing up, they feel more like siblings or cousins than nieces and nephews. I am now an aunt to nine, and I'm great aunt to six cutie-patooties.
5. My siblings are all sort of disfunctional. I love them all very much. They cause a certain amount of stress and heart ache in my life, though, and always have, each in their own special way. Growing up because they were getting in trouble, getting divorced, having substance abuse problems, holding grudges, being homeless, creating or extending family feuds. Usually it's the parents, but I'm here to tell you, sibling turmoil can be quite upsetting as well. I include this as "weird" because I haven't met anyone else with sibling turmoil. Hey, maybe I just coined a phrase!
6. My family and Brian's family share several birthdays:
- Me and Brian's aunt.
- Brian's mother and my brother.
- My father and Brian's cousin (the one he's closest to).
- My oldest brother and Brian's oldest aunt.
- Brian's uncle and my uncle.
OK, that's it folks. I'm weirded out for now. If you want to, leave six weird things about you in the comments, are leave a link to it on your blog. Christine has posted some pretty specific rules, an I need six participants. C'mon, help a girl out!
Hard to believe I can easily think of six MORE weird things about me, huh? Don't answer that.
1. My Dad joined AA when I was four years old, and remained sober until he died when I was 28. He was very active in the program, especially in the early years, and my parents often took me to meetings with them. I went to A LOT of meetings growing up. I found them as entertaining as going to a movie, and never knew if a meeting would be raucously funny, a tear jerker or a tense drama. And, they always served donuts! I don't remember being bored, just suffocated by cigarette smoke. Sometimes I miss going to them.
2. Because of the aforementioned meeting attendance, as a teen and young adult, AA slogans were sort of my "religion." Maybe you've heard a few of them: Easy does it, first things first, live and let live, let go and let God, one day at a time, but for the grace of God. Many transfer well to non-sober life, I must say.
3. I am the youngest of four kids: a brother who is 15 years older than me, a sister who is 14 years older, and a brother who is 5 1/2 years older. My sister got married when I was 3, at the tender age of 17, and my oldest brother joined the Air Force and moved to Nevada around that time. This was also about the time my Dad got sober. So my older siblings lived with an alcoholic dad and an enabling mom, and I, well, didn't. For all of these reasons, my family is more like two different families. For a long time, I saw my older two siblings more as aunt and uncle figures than siblings.
4. I became an aunt at age 5. By age 10, I had four neices and nephews. I have so many memories of them growing up, they feel more like siblings or cousins than nieces and nephews. I am now an aunt to nine, and I'm great aunt to six cutie-patooties.
5. My siblings are all sort of disfunctional. I love them all very much. They cause a certain amount of stress and heart ache in my life, though, and always have, each in their own special way. Growing up because they were getting in trouble, getting divorced, having substance abuse problems, holding grudges, being homeless, creating or extending family feuds. Usually it's the parents, but I'm here to tell you, sibling turmoil can be quite upsetting as well. I include this as "weird" because I haven't met anyone else with sibling turmoil. Hey, maybe I just coined a phrase!
6. My family and Brian's family share several birthdays:
- Me and Brian's aunt.
- Brian's mother and my brother.
- My father and Brian's cousin (the one he's closest to).
- My oldest brother and Brian's oldest aunt.
- Brian's uncle and my uncle.
OK, that's it folks. I'm weirded out for now. If you want to, leave six weird things about you in the comments, are leave a link to it on your blog. Christine has posted some pretty specific rules, an I need six participants. C'mon, help a girl out!
posted by Kris at
8:56 PM
Haloscan: |
3 Comments:
I'm a little late for delurking week, but I thought I'd post a comment for the first time in honor of your revelation that you have much older siblings. My only sibling is a brother that is 13 years older than me - I started kindergarten 3 months after he graduated from high school. Instead of thinking of him like an uncle like you did with your brother, I considered him more of a third parent. He always checked my homework, occasionally picked me up from school, and was the only babysitter I can remember having. We didn't really relate to each other as siblings until I was in my mid-twenties. I was determined to have my kids close together because of this experience (they are two and four). We'll see how it goes!
By
Lisa, at 9:44 AM
hmmmm...only six?
Let's see.....
1) when munching in the kitchen, I stand perched like a flamingo on one leg. I don't know why....I just do, I always have.
2) I bust into song constantly, without abandon or control! (did I mention I have a REALLY bad voice)
3) when I was little I thought that I would marry my brother who is 18 months older then me.....I adored him! Thankfully I outgrew that......
4) the second toe on my left foot in longer then my big toe.....it runs in the family. My husband and I have dubbed this phenomenon..."ALIEN TOE!"
5) I LOVE TOYS! I am a kid just like my kids! The toy store can be a verrrrrrrrry bad thing for the bank account! I just never truly grew up....and I suppose I never will!
6) I studied phsychology in college, but decided to drop that major because I opened a book of phobias and realized I had so many of them that there was NO way I could help anyone else......so I switched my major to photography and my college to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago wherein I studied fine art photography.
How's that for helping a girl out.....
do you need more????
By
Monster Mama, at 1:13 PM
Six things. What consitutes "weird"? Let's see if this is weird enough:
1/ I come from a family of hairdressers and barbers. I grew up in a "Beauty Shop" sitting underneath ginormous hairdryers listening to women gossip while they got their "do-s" and reading the National Enquirer. When I got tired of that I went over to the Barber Shop side and listened to the men gossip. Same thing, different subjects, and they were out of the chair quicker.
2/ My dad is a recovered alcoholic and he is part owner in a Beverage Shop that stocks mostly booze. (Maybe that's one of his weird things & not mine though.) Because of the alcoholism during my childhood the only contact I can tolerate with him is letters (sent the old fashioned way) and I haven't seen him in person for 20 years.
3/ I'm a natural blonde and not stupid.
4/ I always wished for a sister when I was a child (have two younger brothers) but am now glad I don't have one. Girlfriends are better.
5/ I think I'm suffering a from a mini-midlife crisis in a couple of areas but I'm not sure.
6/ I struggle between wanting to live in the city and wanting to live in a rural area. Neither gives me everything I want on a daily basis & a lot of times I feel really caught between two "worlds" (for lack of a better word.)
By
Bridget In Oregon, at 5:55 PM
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