Happy Birthday, Giggles!
Today is Giggle's birthday. Since she is so far away, the cake has to just be this virtual one. I know this was your favorite character way back when, so why not a cake with an old friend?
Unlike those dolls of yours, you only get one cake. No Peach Melba, Huckleberry Pie, Blueberry Muffin or any of the rest of those other characters for you!
Now, in honor of her birthday, here are a few little snippets into why I call her Giggles:
In the winter of '78, Mother Nature was pissed at Long Island. Three storms in three weeks dumped over 70 inches of snow, when we normally were cursed with freezing rain. An ice storm was thrown into the fray as well, one that resulted in the power at our house being out for three days.
As a result, we kids ended up staying at an older sister's boyfriends house the next town over. We didn't get to see much of Mom, who was staying at a coworker's house near work. Peggy (the sister) was given Mom's car for a couple of days to get us kids around. It was a late 60's VW Bug. It had no heat (did any of them?)
We were heading from the boyfriends house to meet up with Mom at her job to bring her some clothes and visit. It was cold-around zero. Giggles indignantly pipes up from the backseat "Can you turn on some heat, please? I'm freezing my balls off back here!"
Yeah, at almost 8, she didn't know she didn't have any balls to freeze off!
A few years later, Dad took us two on some 'Southern Exposure' vacations. During the first one, in 1982, she was on a swim team and took her practicing seriously. (I was a recreational swimmer at that point) Being a comptetitive swimmer means you had finals or speedo suits and swim caps. The swim caps usually matched your suit, but not always.
Well, with the olympics coming, somehow, she got this rather garish lycra cap-bright blue, with olympic rings on either side and the five olympic colors as wide stripes down the middle. It sure made it easy to pick her out from the rest of the racers.
The road trips with dad took place on some boring interstates, but Giggles spiced things up: she'd put that cap on and make crazy sounds in the back seat, all while making crazy faces at the passing cars! Dad dubbed her "Captain Banana". The name fit. I'd hear that 'bluhblughbluh BHLUGH" sound out of the backseat and have to control myself before I busted a gut laughing.
Last story, I promise! I chose Giggles to be my maid of honor when I married my first husband. My plans for that wedding were for her to wear pink and the men to wear charcoal gray. I ventured up to NY for us to visit bridal shops to find her bridesmaid gown (I'd found my dress at a department store).
We go into the first bridal shop (and one of the employees notices her sorority letters and is a founder of her college's chapter of that sorority) and she tries on the pink. Something to know here: I've always looked great in pink, thanks to the Irish fair skin. Well, she got the dark Irish/dad's trace american indian olive skin and pink looks bad on her. The first shop is a strikeout.
Plan B: We shop elsewhere for a dress and none of them have anything we agree on. Finally, in desperation, since she's a fashion plate and I am not, I tell her she can pick any dress-let's just get it over with! She asks "ANY dress?" As I am not a shop till I drop clothing shopper, I tell her yes, just let's get this over with.
She picks up this pumpkin orange satin THING and says "I want THIS ONE!" It was a nightmare:
spaghetti straps
shirred top
poofy pumpkin shaped skirt with a butt bow
and the piece de resistance: It was covered in black lace!
Uuuuuuuuuuugggggggggllllllllllyyyyyyyy!
I think we laughed the rest of the afternoon. Fortunately, the next store had the perfect dress. It was teal and three times the price of my dress, but she looked perfect in it. I think we had to have that laugh, though. ( Now you see why I'm happy I only was a bridesmaid once and it was only for Giggles!)
On second thought, I'm not making you that cake, Giggles. I'm finding you that fugly dress!
Happy Birthday!
Unlike those dolls of yours, you only get one cake. No Peach Melba, Huckleberry Pie, Blueberry Muffin or any of the rest of those other characters for you! Now, in honor of her birthday, here are a few little snippets into why I call her Giggles:
In the winter of '78, Mother Nature was pissed at Long Island. Three storms in three weeks dumped over 70 inches of snow, when we normally were cursed with freezing rain. An ice storm was thrown into the fray as well, one that resulted in the power at our house being out for three days.
As a result, we kids ended up staying at an older sister's boyfriends house the next town over. We didn't get to see much of Mom, who was staying at a coworker's house near work. Peggy (the sister) was given Mom's car for a couple of days to get us kids around. It was a late 60's VW Bug. It had no heat (did any of them?)
We were heading from the boyfriends house to meet up with Mom at her job to bring her some clothes and visit. It was cold-around zero. Giggles indignantly pipes up from the backseat "Can you turn on some heat, please? I'm freezing my balls off back here!"
Yeah, at almost 8, she didn't know she didn't have any balls to freeze off!
A few years later, Dad took us two on some 'Southern Exposure' vacations. During the first one, in 1982, she was on a swim team and took her practicing seriously. (I was a recreational swimmer at that point) Being a comptetitive swimmer means you had finals or speedo suits and swim caps. The swim caps usually matched your suit, but not always.
Well, with the olympics coming, somehow, she got this rather garish lycra cap-bright blue, with olympic rings on either side and the five olympic colors as wide stripes down the middle. It sure made it easy to pick her out from the rest of the racers.
The road trips with dad took place on some boring interstates, but Giggles spiced things up: she'd put that cap on and make crazy sounds in the back seat, all while making crazy faces at the passing cars! Dad dubbed her "Captain Banana". The name fit. I'd hear that 'bluhblughbluh BHLUGH" sound out of the backseat and have to control myself before I busted a gut laughing.
Last story, I promise! I chose Giggles to be my maid of honor when I married my first husband. My plans for that wedding were for her to wear pink and the men to wear charcoal gray. I ventured up to NY for us to visit bridal shops to find her bridesmaid gown (I'd found my dress at a department store).
We go into the first bridal shop (and one of the employees notices her sorority letters and is a founder of her college's chapter of that sorority) and she tries on the pink. Something to know here: I've always looked great in pink, thanks to the Irish fair skin. Well, she got the dark Irish/dad's trace american indian olive skin and pink looks bad on her. The first shop is a strikeout.
Plan B: We shop elsewhere for a dress and none of them have anything we agree on. Finally, in desperation, since she's a fashion plate and I am not, I tell her she can pick any dress-let's just get it over with! She asks "ANY dress?" As I am not a shop till I drop clothing shopper, I tell her yes, just let's get this over with.
She picks up this pumpkin orange satin THING and says "I want THIS ONE!" It was a nightmare:
spaghetti straps
shirred top
poofy pumpkin shaped skirt with a butt bow
and the piece de resistance: It was covered in black lace!
Uuuuuuuuuuugggggggggllllllllllyyyyyyyy!
I think we laughed the rest of the afternoon. Fortunately, the next store had the perfect dress. It was teal and three times the price of my dress, but she looked perfect in it. I think we had to have that laugh, though. ( Now you see why I'm happy I only was a bridesmaid once and it was only for Giggles!)
On second thought, I'm not making you that cake, Giggles. I'm finding you that fugly dress!
Happy Birthday!
Comments
Thanks for the visit and your kind comments, it's always nice to see someone new!
(abritdifferent.wordpress.com)
I do have some fine french bread that I made courtesy Hank and Willie's recipe, though. You can dip it in chocolate fondue-it'd be like a chocolate croissant. Would that be good enough? :)
You're commenting on my blog, I'm reading yours. The Benny lava comments are friggin hilarious! And that song was runnign through my head all day at work!