HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE!!!!

You are likely wondering, "Julie?! Who is Julie? Did she get a new dog??" No, Julie is my youngest sister and today is her birthday! Julie is four years and two months younger than me, but there are three other siblings between us! She was the fifth child -- born exactly on my parents' fifth anniversary. She lives in Davis, California with her VERY old cat, Auntie Mary (sigh -- funny animal nicknames run in the family). Here is a picture of Auntie Mary with my daughter, Nicole...



There are some funny things you should know about Julie. First of all, when you go to her house you might think she is very religious! However, the truth is that she simply collects religious things and that Holy Water bottle is likely to have lotion in it! For her sake, I sure hope God has an excellent sense of humor ;)

Julie is also responsible for years of funny pictures in our family. She is the Garage Sale Queen and has picked up some interesting items over the years and coerced most of us into having our pictures taken with some of these things. Here are some examples of her excellent coercion skills -- these are Tanner (with niece, Elizabeth), Galen, and Nicole...




Julie has many unusual talents and skills but she is quite well known for her most excellent musical abilities -- on the accordion!!! Who decides one day to learn to play the accordion??? Answer: Julie!


Julie would have preferred to name herself and so when we go to restaurants she likes to test drive names -- they are always exotic and so you think you are sitting with Julie, but then they call "Rula" and the sister formerly known as Julie runs off to get our table or pick up her food.

I never laugh so hard as when I am with Julie -- she is a LOT of fun and I do not get to see her enough but when I do, it is like no time has passed at all. A sister shares our past like nobody else, and I am very, very grateful that I have two very wonderful sisters. I hope I am soon sitting across from Julie at Dos Coyotes, laughing until I am crying at some funny memory or enjoying a well embellished story we are telling about another family member (the danger of not attending family gatherings -- we talk about you :)


Zoey Rosebud is waiting for the birthday cake to be served -- sigh....this is my kitchen table...



Chippy says to keep the cake (and the evil cat) but could he please have some nuts?


HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE!!!!!!!!! And happy day to the rest of us...