The Eloquence of Jannie

Jannie, Tara and I went out for a girls night of ice cream and a movie. During the ice cream portion of the evening, Tara was elaborating on the design of her living room and her choice of paint colors. In trying to remember the faux finish or technique she wanted to use she paused then muttered, "crap." Jannie, seizing the opportunity, piped up, "Oh don't mind me, I'm just crapping my walls."

Pepto, Anyone?

Jannie, and I (and a few others who shall remain nameless) were playing Phase 10. We were all on various phases, but closer to the end of the game where it requires players to make sets of cards instead of runs. Jannie, having been dealt a hand that was not conducive to easy "set" making, muttered, "Now would be a good time for the runs!"

How the Bean came into Being

How did Charity's nickname really evolve into Bean?  They have no immediate relation or obvious connection.  So let me explain.  No, there is too much.  Let me sum up.  When Charity was little, about a year or so old, we, the entire family would call her Charitina Bina.  Then it turned into Charity Bean, and then ChariBeanie.  Gradually, syllables kept disappearing and we had Charibean, Beanie and Beanie Baby.  Then, obviously, it evolved into just Bean.  Other incarnations of the Famous Bean Murdock:  ChaBean, Bean the Wean, Beanie Weanie, Beanie the baby, Cherry (which actually is not an incarnation of Bean-just in case you were wondering), and LaBean! I'm sure there are others, but I can't recall them all.  Her nickname was an acquired taste for her.  But for us, and no matter how much she fussed, whined,  complained, told us not to call her that in public, or tried to hide it, it became an evolving term of endearment that she will never be able to outgrow or make us forget, even if we wanted to. It's too ingrained. And it's tangled up in too much affection.  The Name of Bean is said with great love.

Bop Bop and Rebop

Aaron was changing Sundee's diaper and she needed a little powder-key here being "little."  Well, Aaron felt suddenly dramatic or something.  With swift taps on the bottom of the powder bottle aimed into Sundee's diaper, he said "Bop, Bop and Re-bop," each "bop" getting a solid puff of powder into the diaper.  With her oh-so-powder-fresh bottom, Sundee puffed little clouds each time she fell on her little behind. 

Madame Medusa's Pawn Shop Boutique

Charity was in the bathroom one night getting ready for bed after a show or something where she needed false eyelashes.  (This was while we lived at Minton, I think.)  I came in to brush my teeth.  Turning to me while she pulled off one eyelash with an efficient swipe, she said with a certain "rescuer" inflection: "Madame Medusa's Pawnshop Boutique!" She imitated it perfectly, red hair, no eyelashes and everything!

Rambo, Save Me!

Jannie is very imaginative.  We were living on Decatur,  I think, and she was in the kitchen making up stories.  She had a butter knife and a spoon and was making them jump up and down. The knife came bounding across the table while the spoon was tipping off the edge, yelling "Rambo, Rambo, save me!"  Is that how the story goes?

The Home Goes Public

Charity as a kid never liked the nickname Bean. We've called her that all her life, but it was definitely something she fought in the beginning. Tara was talking with her in the privacy of our own home (I believe it was on Gentry) when she called Charity "Bean." Appalled, Charity gasped, "Don't call me that in public!"

Let me tell you a little bit about Jannie. She has always been a very bright child, not only smart, but happy. And she still brings a very happy presence when she enters a room. She laughs easily and is more tender than all the rest of us. If anyone was to save the world, it would be Jannie. Her tender heart loves all of Heavenly Father's creatures. With that said, she was still the only one brave enough to kill the bugs in the house... when her dad wasn't there. (which was often) However, if you look at it, she was still "saving" us. (That's what I had you for Jannie, to save me!) It's Jannie getting us to do our histories. It's Jannie planning the reunion. It's jammin' Jannie who sits down at the piano to play something by ear for all to enjoy. She composes songs, some with lyrics and some without. I love the little and big tunes she makes up. If there is adventure, she's ready! She is full of life, and life loves her. She radiates with enthusiasm. Jannie is an artist! If you ever look at some of the stuff she's done, you are in awe. Jannie is everybody's friend. And they all love her. So for me Jannie is a delight, a pleasure, and a blessing! Thanks Jannie, for just being you!

Jannie the hair stylist

Can we even remember how many times Jannie helped herself to the scissors and cut her own hair??? I remember one time a friend of mine in the ward said that one of these episodes was the worst she'd ever seen! And I had already fixed it!

The BBQ - This is the way it REALLY happened...

It was Father's Day and Mom was trying to do something special for Dad. She decided barbequeing steaks would be ideal, but she didn't know how to use the barbeque. So Mom had me go out there with her thinking that I might know something about it.

We went out there and started poking around. We turned the ignite knob, but nothing happened. I thought outloud to Mom, "Maybe we need more gas," and I turned up the propane. Still nothing happened. We turned on the burners, then turned the ignite key. Again, nothing. So I turned up the gas. We kept trying the knobs like you try to unlock the combo on a safe, and each time something didn't work, I turned up the gas. By this time, the propane tank was hissing loudly. Frustrated I thought maybe something was wrong with the gas tank itself. I was sitting on my heels when Mom found the magic button (apparently, you have to PUSH IN the ignite button before it will work). In my periferal vision, I saw a huge plume of fire and smoke as it exploded from the barbeque like an atomic bomb - and Mom was still standing right there.

Panicked, I jumped up. "Mom! Are you ok?!?"

She said nothing, just turned her head and looked at me. Between the glazed eyes, curled eyelashes, singed eyebrows, still half-shriveling hair that laid perfectly around her face just moments ago, it was all I could do to keep from laughing. Actually, I couldn't keep from laughing. My mouth just got bigger as I tried to frown the uncontrollable smile from my face. Understandably, Mom was mad at me for laughing. "You don't love me. I could have died," she said as she marched into the house. Her entrance grabbed the attention of all the siblings in the room. As she told the story, I followed after her, trying desparately to catch my breath through the laughter. Between her story and my chortled gasps, everyone else started laughing. Upset and singed, Mom huffed up the stairs hollering, "Nobody loves me! I could have been seriously hurt and you're all just laughing!..."

I don't remember if we ate steaks or not, but guaranteed: Mom did NOT cook them on the grill.

Multi-Linguistical Jayson

Jayson and Sundee were in the basement of our house on Quailbrook. Who knows what Jayson was doing, but Sundee was yapping his ear off. Finally, Jayson got fed up and turned to Sundee saying, "Shut up!"

Sundee gasped and went running upstairs. She found Mom in the kitchen and with a look of you-wouldn't-believe-it on her face, told her the terrible sin Jayson just committed. "Jayson said 'be-quiet' in the other language!"

Mom laughed so hard I don't think Jayson got in trouble at all.

Aaron and Benji - the Guard Dogs

One night at the Gentry house, Aaron was in the backyard petting Benji, the family's favorite bad-dog. The lights were off and the night was quiet. Suddenly a stranger hopped the fence. Aaron waited for Benji to do something, but he was content letting Aaron pet his curly fur. So, Aaron started barking. Then Benji got excited, started barking, and began running to the stranger. The intruder's eyes bulged in fear and he jumped back over the fence faster than he came over it. Goooood doggie-woggies.

Save the Baby!

Didn't Jayson and Aaron drop baby Tiffy on her head when they were fighting over who got to hold her?

Slapping the Roach

Charity and I were really little. We lived on Gentry at the time, and we had a serious problem with roaches coming in with the irrigation. Those little beasts often invaded our home and terrorized us all.

This particular afternoon, I was walking behind Charity in the hallway headed to the living room, when I spied an invader. Usually I would try to kill them right away, but it just so happened to be crawling on Charity's head. I couldn't just squish it in her hair! I wasn't sure what to do, but I couldn't just let it be there. So in an instantaneous decision I whacked it out of her hair and it started to fly away. I would have chased it down too, but Charity whirled around with the maddest look I'd seen since I walked in front of her when she was on camera.

"Why did you hit me?!?" she bellowed.

I was taken aback. I just saved you and you're yelling at me? I stuttered "I-I didn't. I w-was just trying t-to...."

"Yes you did! I'm telling mom!"

A hero's thanks.

I AM A BOY!!!

Ok, Sundee and Tara. I don't remember all the details, so fill us in.

As I recall, Tara was teasing Sundee. Apparently, Tara thought Sundee was acting boyish, maybe the way she dressed, the way she acted, I don't remember. But Sundee kept having to defend herself - "No I'm not!... No I don't!... Nuh-uh!..." And in the end Tara teased her to the point that she'd had it. In an attempt to end this once and for all, she desparately declared that she was a girl and was not a boy...and sadly she mixed up her words: "I AM a BOY!!!"

And Tara said, "See? I told you!"

Tara the Beauty Queen

Ever since her hair became curly, I wanted to have Tara's hair. I admired how she did it and I frequently tried to mimic her hairstyles--especially during the big hair and big bangs era of our lives. I couldn't wait until I was old enough to wear make-up and get my ears pierced like Tara. I thought she wore cool clothes and I was always excited when she passed down some of her clothes to me. (Actually, I still get excited when she passes clothes down to me.) When she was in high school, I remember thinking she was the epitome of cool--she had cool hair, wore cool clothes, make-up, and earrings and I wanted to look like her.
I also admired her singing ability. She was so good. She got in good choirs and got solos in choir concerts--I specifically remember the Oliver song that she sang (where I think she kicked a girl with her boot in what was supposed to be a stage kick, but in the performance ended up being the real thing because of the adrenaline rush of performing for real). She was really good in that part and I felt proud that I was her sister. I couldn't wait until I was in high school and could be just like Tara.

Big Sister Summer

Okay, so in 10th grade I was this little mouse and Summer's shadow. I felt so cool because Summer would let me hang out with her and her friends sometimes. She was a big-shot, totally awesome senior. It was really empowering to my little timid self that she was my sister and that she included me in things all the time. I kind of had this prestigious title among her friends and other kids in the school and even among some teachers of "Summer's Little Sister" that I was proud of. Summer was so capable at the things she pursued and I happened to like many of the same things, so I followed in her footsteps. In 11th and 12th grade, I had many of the teachers she had had and so when I went into the class the teachers already had good expectations from me because I was related to her.
And then later after we left Utah and returned to Arizona, Summer came down and again took me under her wing for the small amount of time she was down there. She tried to help me meet people and find opportunities. Too bad I didn't follow her back up to Utah when she went to BYU. Maybe I would not have taken 4 years to get my Associate's degree and still be trying to get my Bachelor's at 30 years old!

Sontay

Remember when I called Sundee "Sontay" for a little while. I can't remember how it started, but I think the speaking in accents thing had something to do with it. Anyway, I liked calling her that, but Mom didn't. So I stopped. What an obedient child I am!

Jannie, the Bug Lady

When ever there was a bug intruding upon the household, the person to come and save the day was... JANNIE! She was brave! She was fearless! She was also younger than me so I could boss her around. ("YOU get the bug! You saw it first!") I am forever grateful that she would kill the roaches and crickets (especially crickets)! There was even a time that there was a lizard in the closet! I tried to be the big sister and take care of the situation myself. I groped and grabbed and finally snagged it by the tail and YUCK! The tail came off! I wanted to vomit. Unable to pursue the attacker further (due to trembling limbs and a weak stomach), I stepped back and let the pro go at it. After struggling a great deal under all the clothes and shoes and toys, she came out victorious. Jannie saved the day again!
I talk a good fight, but when it comes down to it, I am always afraid that they will get me before I get them... And their tail might come off.

Tiffany Doo-Dah

I've always heard this great story about Tiffy when she was little. I guess she and Mom would sing the song "Zippidy-doo-dah, Zippidy-aye! My oh my what a wonderful day..." but they would change the Zippidy-doo-dah to Tiffany-doo-dah, which she just loved! Well, she went to a baseball game with the family, if I heard the story right. Somehow she got separated from the group, and got lost. A stranger found her crying and decided to help her.

"What's your name?" the stranger asked.

She sniffed and replied, "Tiffany."

"What's your last name?" the stranger asked.

"Doo-Dah."

Hit the Gas!

 Sundee always has the best one-liners.  We've already heard the monkeys buggin' me story and there were so many more.  That's why I think she is the Comedianne.  She has a way of saying something and it makes you laugh.  Anyone else says it, not so funny.  So, she got away with saying a few things that none of us would dare to say.  One time either in the big yellow suburban or the green urban snickee, I don't remember which one.  Dad was driving.  He was especially taking his time through some place where we all knew that the speed limit was higher than he was going.  All of the girls in the back looked at each other and silently rolled our eyes, annoyed with how slow this trip was going.  But you don't tell Dad  how to drive.  It's just one of those unwritten rules of survival.  But Sundee couldn't stand it any longer, and she voiced what we all were thinking.  She sat in the back seat that was too small for her long legs, one leg propped up on the seat in front (where I was sitting, swatting the leg was useless,) her elbow on the arm rest on the side, put her head back in a smirky sort of way, and said with a bit of humor in her voice: "Hit the gas!"  We couldn't help it, we all burst out laughing.  I don't remember, did Dad hit the gas?

Right over left, don't fall down

In Nauvoo, Tiffany had to learn a few dance moves for the shows she was performing in.  Now, Tiffany has a way of putting things in  a such a manner as to keep the directions clear and simple, said in kind, clever ways, but not fluffy. And she is wise without meaning to be.  And I don't know about now, but at the time, dancing for Tiffany was as Sundee described it.  (If you haven't read that post, scroll down, it's a good read.) Anyway, this time as she was learning the dance moves for the show, she was instructing herself in her simple, clear way:  "Right over left, don't fall down, right over left, don't fall down!!"  And it worked really well!!  She stayed up! A plain and precious truth found in unassuming words of self-encouragement.  Just keep telling that to yourself, Tiffy.  And to all of us.  It's actually good advice for more than dancing! 

And when you get a minute, I'd like to read your version of the story, TC.  I'm sure there's more than I can remember there.  

Peeling paint off the wall

Tiffany didn't know the strength of her voice.  One time all the sisters were singing "Hercules" and we were doing it in style, full voice and all.  We were singing it for some reunion, I think. At the end of the song, there's a wail that we gave to Tiffany because she could do it, and do it well.  A little later, a man came up to mom and said, "Man, you've got a voice in there that can peel the paint off the wall!"  He meant it about the voice at the end of the song that did that wail-thing, and he meant it in a good, strong way.

Tiff-a-saurus Rex

In high school, Tiffany had a group of friends that were pretty clever.  Tiff was always a pretty clever, but low-key kind of person, too.  So, it was quite funny to hear the nick names they would give her, considering how calm she was.  One time I remember hearing a boy in her group, I don't remember his name, but he was greeting her like this:  "It's the Tiffster! It's the Tiff-a-nator!  It's the Tiff-a-saurus Rex!"  So fitting, don't you think?

Beautiful Blonde!

When we lived on Decatur, we had a repair man in the front yard fixing the wiring that went to the street light. I was out there with Sundee and Jannie and the worker asked Jannie where she got that red hair. The next day, another repair man was at the house fixing the washer. And the two little girls were watching him. As he was working along, this man also asked Jannie where she got her red hair. This was just too much for little Sundee and she said, "My hair is this color." At this point I knew I needed to let her know something. I told her she was our "Beautiful Blonde!" And to this day, she is still our "Beautiful Blonde!"

And just who was babysitting???

One day I came home from shopping or something and I found my little girl (Tiffy) hiding under the counter... kind of in the corner... CUTTING off her long red locks !!! This was my sweet little peacemaker. The gentle child about which I always declared "Everyone needs a Tiffany right in the middle." I was shocked! And where did she get those scissors? (And who was watching her???)
When I found her there was only one beautiful curl left. Needless to say, I was appalled! So in order to make a lasting impression, I pretended to cry. Then I fixed the hair cut and gave her Shirley Temple curls. And of course she was still an absolutely beautiful child. So I don't think she was permantly scarred for cutting her own hair and making her mother "cry."

Where did you get those scissors Tiffany?

Singing Contests

On the same vein as singing arguments, singing contests were another forte of Tiffany's. I think it all started with cleaning the kitchen and someone was singing. Let's say it was me singing. Then someone would burst into the middle of my song with another song all together. Let's say it was Tiffany who did the bursting. Perhaps she didn't like the tune I had picked out. In defense I came through with yet a different song! And so it ensued! Back and forth with no particular rhyme or reason to the song choices. Then somehow rules developed. You had to come up with a song before the other person finished their tune or else you lost. You also couldn't repeat any song. Occasionally one or the other of us would get stuck singing "This is the song that never ends..." and with that the other party would exit the room, leaving the one singing to enjoy their infinite musical reverie.

The Tiffy Dance

Have you ever seen Tiffy dance? She's amazing! Such grace! Such poise! She can bring the whole room to attention in one motion! To reproduce such fine movement one must stand with feet together. Now alternate your knees coming forward to the rhythm of desired music, keeping your toes touching the ground. Next extend your fingers to their fullest extent. Now in swift deliberate motions, extend your right hand straight down in front of your right leg while your left knee is cocked. Repeat on the left side while right knee is cocked. Repeat alternating motions over and over. With routine and vigilant practice, you too can become quite the diva of dance!

Summer in Madrigals

When Summer was in high school, I always loved going to see her perform with her singing group, Madrigals. They would dance and sing and entertain to the heart's content. One time they were singing "Country Corn" where they tell the most absurd, cheesy, and corniest jokes there ever were between choruses. Well it came to Summer's turn to tell a real winner of a joke, and it went something like this: "You know that Sundee Murdock?! Well she wanted to take one of them Egyptian milk baths like Chleopatra. So She called up the Milk Man and he asked her if she wanted it pasturized and she said 'No, just up to my chin!' " And then loud, fake laughter ensued enticing the entire audience to laugh as well. To a little 12 yr old, who thought her older sisters walked on water, this was a big deal. Not only did she noticed me, but she brought everyone else's attention to the fact the I was alive!

So... Thirty

I wasn't there, but the story I heard goes like this: Charity and Tara were shopping or something and the subject of birthdays came up. Tara mentioned that she would be thirty years old on her next birthday. Charity in shock, unable to stop herself blurted out, "YOUR SO (pause... ) thirty." Apparently she was able to stop herself from being too tactless.

Your Monkeys are Buggin' Me!

Sundee, Brian, Charity (or was it Summer?) and I were playing Phase 10 on the floor at the house on Minton. I was wearing these really great gorilla slippers - but I have this problem with my shifty feet. They're always looking for a warm place or for something to do. In this case, I had my legs stretched out, ankles crossed, and feet wiggling aimlessly but swiftly back and forth. The way we were sitting, the gorilla heads on the slippers were bumping Sundee and I didn't notice that until she asked me to move my feet. No prob. I moved, but being as busy as they are, my feet ended up back where they were wiggling back and forth as before. She again asked me to move them and I obliged. I did make a conscious effort to not move them back there until my turn came around. After I made my play, I'd entirely forgotten again and moved my restless feet right next to her. I guess she was out of patience and done asking kindly at this point because she blurted out, "Ya know...your monkeys are buggin' me!"

And we all laughed and laughed and laughed!

Tibbly! - my memories

TC growing up was kind of shy and often singing to herself. She's always up for a good chat or a game of cards, but I guess that's all the Murdock kids. :) Her lilting voice is as peaceful as a warm breeze - I always admired how she could touch every high note so effortlessly! And she has a personality to match. Growing up, Mom always said "every family needs a Tiffany right in the middle" because she was the peacemaker. As a kid, I remember trying to have all the good qualities of the older siblings that Mom praised. So when it came to being kind, I looked to her. One Sunday she got up to bear her "simple testimony," and later I caught myself using her exact words in a Young Women's testimony meeting. I also immitated her artistic talents. She wrote poems, so I wrote poems. She told me hands and eyes were the hardest things to draw, so guess what I worked on? Yep, hands and eyes. When I got the part of Annie in the church play, she tried to teach me tapping so I could dance during my duet with Daddy Warbucks. I say she "tried" because I got discouraged that I couldn't get it right the first or second time, so she ended up teaching me a super-simplified version that I used on stage.

It was also really nice when we shared a room living on Minton. She slept on the top bunk and I was on the bottom. After we turned off the lights to go to bed, we spent hours just talking about whatever was going on in our lives. That's when I really got close to Tiffy. Another nice thing about rooming with her was that she was a heavy sleeper. I got this new alarm clock, and the night before I had turned up the volume pretty loud to make sure I got up. In the morning when it rang, I thought it was the fire alarm! I gathered up all my stuff - backpack, shoes, scriptures, blanket, and went to wake Tiffany on the top bunk. That's when I realized that the noise was coming from my dresser and not the house, but she slept clear through it! Not even a movement!! And that thing was LOUD.

Anyway, I really respect Tiffany. She's a wonderful example to me of how a person should be - and I think that started way back when she played the older sister in one of those silly songs we mouthed and performed for Mom and Dad - "She's about this high, she's smaller than I, sometimes I help her tie her shoe. She's my sister...."

Movie Quoting Queen

Tiff took tops on movie quoting. The rest of us quote movies about every other sentence, whereas Tiffany - at least for a while - every other word out of her mouth was a movie quote! There was a time when she quoted the french maid on "Kiss Me, Kate" where she does this crazy-fast thing with her toungue - "La-lalalalalalalalalalalala!" The great part is when Sundee tried to immitate it too, but her toungue seemed to get stuck on the roof of her mouth. And the harder she tried to do it, the longer her "L"s got - "La-lullll-lulllllllll-lullllllllll-lullllllllllllllll...."

Don't Squeak Me!

Remember when Tiff was really little? I don't, but I remember the story. The vacuum would squeak when it was on and apparently little Tiffany was afraid of it. I'm not sure if Jayson was chasing her around the house or if it was just anybody using the vacuum - but whenever that thing was on, she would run away from it yelling "Don't squeak me! Don't squeak me!"

Singing Arguments

Charity made a comment and I think the story should be posted. :)

Back at our house in Taylorsville UT, our parents were desperately trying to get us to stop quarrelling. So one happy Family Home Evening was centered on no contention - and the article in the Ensign suggested that people try singing their arguments. Anytime they got mad, they HAD to sing, and by the end of the argument everyone was laughing instead. Singing your arguments was instantly included in house rules.

Chance was in the living room while Summer and Tiffany were in the kitchen, and an argument started. He didn't even know what they were arguing about, but they were definitely singing it instead of saying it. I guess the squabble got somewhat passionate because - as Chance describes it - he heard them getting louder and louder. Finally, when he thought nobody could get any louder, Summer comes sailing above. Then Tiffany topped her volume and he swears the house rattled and now for sure, no one could beat that. But NOOOOOO, Summer sang yet louder!!! I think she was the last one in the battle of volume, but it was a tough match!

The Nephi song, I Don't Feel Like Singing, and many more

So we can't have a story session about Summer without mentioning her songs. Remember how much time Summer spent on the piano composing her music? And remember how much time I spent singing along and making up harmonies to her songs? Ah, yes. Those were good times...

To Go Shopping With Tara...

The other day I came home from the store with a few items more than were on my list. Chris' remark when I showed him the merchandise was, "You are not allowed to go shopping while you are on the phone with Tara!" You see, when you go shopping with Tara, she has a way of making items you might otherwise say weren't in the budget seem justified somehow. Its great and scary all at the same time. My favorite phrase of her persuasive jargon is "Sometimes you have to get something for yourself. If the mom is not happy then nobody in the family is happy." This is, of course, the one that usually makes it seem alright; the one that makes me say, "She's right! I do need this." And, of course, once the purchase is justified in my mind, I do feel happy.

Watch for Flying Nails!

I remember when I finally was old enough to play cards with the rest of the girls. In my first few games I learned that nearly every game was about speed, not much about strategy or thought, just speed. And things got pretty intense sometimes - playing Nertz on the floor and the next thing you know, everyone's hovering over the cards yelling and slapping cards as fast as they can. And there was one very important rule - no nails. Mom never followed that rule. So the more actively we got into the game, the more hands got sliced on Mom's nails. The more violent the play, the more brutal the cut. Mom gave out bandaids for any major injuries, but the rest of us got some sweetly spoken, sugar-coated, insensitive remark like, "Well you should have just let me put MY card there...."

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45 thousand Big Fat Monster - Tara's version

It was a hot day in....Wait that is the beginning of another story. I was in Utah in the Summer time. We were on a "Girl's trip" to see Bean in her opera "I'm Loooossst". While we were there, we decided to see if we could find brides maid dresses for Jannie's upcoming wedding! We were at the mall and trying on dresses and clothes. Well Everyone could fit into the same dress and we were trading the dresses from stall to stall. Everyone, that is, except ME! I would squish into a dress that Sundee had just tried on, and she looked great in it by the way, and all I looked like was a sausage, all plump and rolley. So I tried on the dress that Charity had tried on. I couldn't even get the dress past the shoulder seam of the arm holes. My fore arms were way too buff! So I tried on a dress that o' scrawny one had (that being Jo-my-mother) and that was just a passing fancy. Pretty soon, I realized that everyone was just the right size, except ME! And every time I looked in the mirror, I got fatter! By the time we were done trying on clothes I had become the 45 thousand Big Fat Monster. Jannie, Sundee, Bean and Mom all laughed at me for being frustrated with my roundness. And believe me... they all Laughed, lots! "but what is life if we can not make a little sport for our neighbors. And we will laugh at them in our turn" to quote Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice) I am not quite so irritated about it now, but I am also not quite 45 thousand Big Fat monster any more. "Whooa!" -Tara

Etiquette Snob!

Summer... O how you Choose to remember only select items! As many of you have already read, Summer gets or got truly offended by other slurping their food. Well may I remind you of a little story. We were in the house on Quailbrook drive in Utah. You remember, the one with the split entry and enormous front yard. Interestingly enough, the back yard was quite small in comparison. Anyway. We were making s'mores. Melted Chocolate and marshmallow heaven laid very unceremoniously on a graham cracker and squished from the top with another graham cracker...Yum! Everyone who was home was having one or three, what ever the case may be. Summer purposely made a mess of her face. She would take a bite and pull the marshmallow strings away from her mouth with a flourish. The strings would drip from her chin. Summer would giggle under her breath at the way the strings would land everywhere. She would then take another bite with a giggle and end up with chocolate and marshmallow kissed upon her cheek. She would take a last bite, leave half of it hanging out of her mouth and shake her head, similar to a doggy trying to shake off the water after a bath. Her lips looked like a three year old took brown marker to it. When we complained that Summer was making a mess, she burst into fits of Silent laughter. Summer, the etiquette snob was the messiest. So you see, manners and s'mores do not work harmoniously together. By the way, Summer was in her late teens, about seventeen or eighteen, and I have pictures to prove it!

The Flat Tire

I remember when Tara had asked me to fly out to Missouri and help her drive to Arizona. Actually we did this twice. Once we were driving along the Texas panhandle and got a flat tire. The car was very loaded with suitcases and things to keep the kids busy and happy. We had unloaded lots of stuff trying to find the crow bar and jack, which were NOT to be found! So we were trying to figure out how to change the tire. It was getting late and we were starting to get a little nervous. After a while a man stopped to help us. As he changed the tire, he told us that he had driven past us already and turned around. He was going to help another person, but she was already being helped. So he stopped to help us. We definitely knew he was sent to us. He said before he started on his trip he had intended to help someone along the way. I think he always did that. Anyway, he had passed us the first time because we looked like two strong women that could handle it and he had intended to help the older woman (who already had help by the time he got back). Anyway, we had no way to change that tire without help. So we were definitely watched over that time.
Mom

The $300.00 WINNER!

When Summer was in high school, she was in a show choir. And she seemed to do quite well. This high school always held a talent show and offered a money prize. The neat thing about this was that it brought people out of the woodwork to try for it. There were kids trying out that weren't in any of the music classes, etc. Anyway lots of good stiff competition was to be had! I remember telling our kids that the piano players win.

Summer auditioned with "Summertime.". Dad worked with Summer and her accompanist to perfect the song. Well, the night came and as I suspected the piano players were very good . The favored male singer was very good! Then Summer got up and stood by the piano in her beautiful white dress and no shoes. She was very striking with her bright red hair and blue eyes. And then she started singing!
"Summertime, and the living is easy…
It was low and rich. It had a beautiful intensity.
That was it! There was no turning back! The audience was captivated! There was even some guy in the audience that later claimed that she "melted" him.

She brought the house down! The judges thought they'd see her name in lights one day.
She surprised all the "would-be" winners. She won the $300.00 !!!
(and her voice just keeps getting better!)
Mom

twins or not ...that is the question!

Tara and Summer looked enough like twins to fool people. When they were little, I dressed them alike often. As they grew older they would accidentally do it to themselves. Right girls? Remember the brown leather jackets? How many times did people get them mixed up or think they were twins? It was fun ... for me:)
Don't you think they look even more alike than Arnold Swartzenegger (SP?) and Danny Divito (SP?)
the Mom lady

Little Miss Independent

Thoughts about Tara
When Tara was a little girl say two or three at the most (I think) she was already showing signs of independence! We were at Grandma Tryon's and we realized Tara was missing! Scary!!! They lived just off Stapley on 2nd place. So we frantically started looking. Someone found her up on University. She was following Missy, Grandma's little dog. That was nearly a mile away. Little Miss Independent!
Mom

OK, so post already!

You know, there are a few of us who actually read these blogs.  Maybe because we're far away and this is our only link to family at 9 in the morning, 'cause no one else is awake so you can't call them yet, plus, you don't have enough minutes on your phone anyway to just chat (bummer), so you check the blog just to see if, maybe, just in case, someone has posted another story Jannie has so politely and entertaining-ly asked for, which by the way, the ones that are up are downright hilarious and thoroughly a joy to read and remember (so, Jannie and Tara, you are exempted from this kindly-meant censure), maybe it's because of that that we out-of-towners check the blog so frequently, only to find that no new posts have been added since the last time we checked, and we hang our heads in sullen pouting, wishing for more memories from home.  Whew, there was a lot to say there.  So, anyway, just post already.

45K Big Fat Monster

Tara and I (and probably someone else) went clothes shopping and it just wasn't the day for Tara. Nothing seemed to fit right - the store never had her size, it may even say it's her size on the tag, but then it was too small in the arms, or the ribcage was too tight, or whatever. Everytime she found something cute, it didn't quite fit - mostly because Tara has an athletic build, but she was NOT feeling athletic that day. After a while, she got discouraged and everytime she found something cute she'd say, "But of course they don't have my size... because I'm size 45 thousand big fat monster!!!" I tried not to laugh out loud, but all that does is turn a smile into a wide open dropped jaw, happy eyes go buggy and eyebrows jump high trying to stretch the smile out of your cheeks. And that only makes the laugh far more draumatic than it would have been in the first place.

She still to make jokes about being size 45 thousand big fat monster...and it still makes me laugh out-loud.

Squirrels, Teddybears and Bedtime Stories

Summer used to tell the best bedtime stories. When Charity and I shared a room, Summer would come in, sit on the bed, and begin with "Once upon a time, there were two squirrels - one named Charity and the other named Jannie..." and we were hooked. ANY story that involved an animal that had our names MUST be a good one!

I also remember her telling the story about this picture Mom had on the wall. The picture was a victorian style painting of a teddybear and a trumpet. I don't remember what else was in it (except it was mostly pink), but I remember the teddybear and the trumpet. Summer started with the usual, "Once upon a time..." and continued into the most fantastic journey about a young boy who had a teddybear and saved a kingdom with the use of the trumpet. It was exciting, full of adventure and twists and humble glory. One time I asked Summer to retell it and she didn't even remember that she told me a story about it. But I really liked that one - I still wish I remembered the details. It was a cool story!!!

Slurping and Clinking

I remember several mornings sitting at the table, peacefully eating my cereal with Summer and most of the younger sisters - when out of nowhere Summer would rudely and deliberately SLUUURRRRRPPP her food and glare at us all. Stunned by her sudden abrasive gesture, we all stopped and looked at her. After brief silence or a "What?" from us younger girls, Summer would say, "Would you ALL please stop slurping your food?!? It's rude, it's gross, and it bothers me!" At first, she would get a non-apologetic "Sorry" and we'd keep eating, trying not to eat loudly.

After a while of her immitating our slurping we got mad and tried to nit-pick back. One of us piped up: "You may not slurp, but you clink your teeth on the spoon when it goes in your mouth and that bothers us." I don't remember who first said it, but all of us younger girls got on board! From that moment on, clinking bothered everyone who was in trouble for slurping. So each morning at the table, we'd pick on each other. Summer would clink her spoon on her teeth as she ate and we younger girls would slurp louder and longer. Soon, Summer would just put the empty spoon in her mouth and chew, Chew, CHEW just to bug us - but there were lots of us slurping and only one of her clinking. Sometimes the noise was so obnoxious that a few of us would start laughing, but we'd quickly be back to the serious business of attacking each other with slurps and clinks.