Happy Birthday Laura!

Today is my sister’s birthday.



My first memories
I was trying to change your diaper and you rolled all of the sudden and fell from the changing table. I heard you hit the floor. I yelled for Mom. She came and checked you over and you were alright. I was scared to death that I had hurt my baby sister.
I used to steal sugar packets from restaurants and hide them. I would dip your pacifier in the sugar packets and give you your pacifier back. You gave me the biggest smiles!

You are my gorgeous baby sister. Here you are in Avalon with the wind blowing your beautiful hair.



Here you are in Avalon feeding your new stuffed dog.



Mark was helping you with a present on Christmas.



I was visiting from college and you were in the 9th grade. An older boy asked you to the prom. You looked so beautiful in your prom dress!



This is a picture of you when I came for a visit while I was in the military.



Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life.
~Charles M. Schulz

I am well aware that there are differences in how we remember the same events. I read once about sisters who got together and began chatting about the past. Even though they were together at the same time for the same event their experiences were totally different from one another.

I am concerned because your early memories of our childhood may be negative. When you remember our early childhood time together you remember feeling hurt and pain. I am sorry. I am sorry for teasing you. Please remember that I was not all grown up at the time myself. Mark and I were older but we were still children ourselves. We laughed and teased you and called you names. I made you stay up to play monopoly or horses with me. We did not do it to BE mean. You fought back the only way you knew how with yelling “I’m telling!”

I now understand how truly afraid you were when we hid the tape recorder in the attic to scare you. I now understand how afraid you were to step on the floor to get to the bathroom at night. If I was an adult I would have held and comforted you.

I have always loved you. I know that is very hard to understand from your childhood perspective.

I have always thought you were the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen.
I brag about you to my friends, acquaintances and colleagues.
I missed you when I went off to college.
I missed you when I left to join the military.
I worried about you during your teen years. I can’t tell you the panic and fear that ran though me when I heard about your car accidents. I was thousands of miles away when I got those terrible phone calls from Mom. She was crying the whole time she was trying to tell me what happened. You can’t possibly know how grateful and thankful I am that you were never seriously injured.

You grew up while I was away.

To the outside world we all grow old, but not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family grief and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

I enjoyed the time we had together when I was living back at Moms. I remember how hard we laughed and how much fun we had. I enjoyed every visit that we came to see you. I enjoyed every visit that you made to Moms house. When I watch you dance I can’t take my eyes off of you! You can dance girl! Wow! I still have the video with you dancing with Joe.

Nichole at Dads house.



I could not find a pictures of Nichole with my oldest son Anthony.
I have them on video only.

Raggedy and Anthony.


These are pictures from your holiday visits at Moms.
The group photo with Mark is from Laura's house.








These pictures was taken when Dad took Nichole and Joe to the Baltimore Aquarium. The children loved the dolphin show!



Not only were you a beautiful little girl
you are now an exquisite woman.
You had an angelic baby girl who is now a lovely woman.

I am proud of you. I admire you.
I love you more than I can express in words.

I ask about you whenever I have a conversation
or visit with Mom or Dad.

Whenever I tried to call you in the past you were too busy to talk to me. I called and left messages and my calls were not returned. I ended up feeling like a stalker or intruder in your life. I stopped calling.

One of my hopes is that one day you will be able to find some time to spend with me even if it can only be on the phone. Even e-mail would be great. It is painful to be distant from you. I want to be closer. I wish we could spend more time talking and sharing our lives. I miss you. I love you. You are always in my heart.

I hope your birthday is fabulous!