and my twin sister!  Today we are 41 years young!  

We look like aliens!
We look like aliens!
Me (this one was labeled!) with my grandpa on my mom's side.
Me (this one was labeled!) with my grandpa on my mom's side.

Here we are lounging - circa 1969 

I am 30 minutes older than my sister.  And for some reason being the first born I felt it my obligation to take care of her.  I did most of the talking for us, made decisions for us.  That’s just the way it was. 

Our parents always kept us in separate classes.  If we were in the same class there would be no reason to make friends because we had each other.  

I think I am on the right, but I am not sure! Mom??
I think I am on the right, but I am not sure! Mom??

But I can remember raising my hand frequently asking if I could go check on her in grade school.  Sometimes the teacher would say yes right away, other times they would say “in a few minutes.”   When given the green light I would walk across the hall, just look through the glass window, see her, and then walk back to my class.  That’s all I needed!

Here I am a senior in high school - see the Sun-In??
Here I am a senior in high school - any field hockey fans ??
With our brother Charlie! Whenever the three of us are together, all we do is laugh. Tony calls it the "unseen" humor!
With our brother Charlie! Whenever the three of us are together, all we do is laugh. Tony calls it the "unseen" humor!
On high school graduation - I am on the left. My mom made our dresses, and Hannah eventually wore both of these dresses into the ground playing dress up!
On high school graduation - I am on the left. My mom made our dresses, and Hannah eventually wore both of these dresses into the ground playing dress up!
Jenn's on the left, I am on the right. I got my braces off six months before her! :D This is circa 1985 - we were juniors in high school - the same age as Hannah now!
Jenn's on the left, I am on the right. I got my braces off six months before her! 😀 This is circa 1985 - we were juniors in high school - the same age as Hannah now!

Does anyone remember Sun-In?  The stuff that you sprayed in your hair to get “natural” highlights while you were in the sun?  We loved that stuff.  Until you stop using it and it takes forever to grow out!

Fast forward to college.  We had only been separated maybe 24 hours in 18 years?!   I left first because I played field hockey at Southern Illinois.  She left three weeks later to Iowa State, where our brother went to school. 

I got home from practice one day, and my roommate says “some girl that sounds just like you is crying and wants you to call her back.”

I call her back and through sobs she says: “I had no idea how much you took care of me!”  And she said that she didn’t think her roommates liked her.   It wasn’t until they discovered she was a twin that they became friends – she had a picture of me on her desk and they thought “who does this girl think she is having a picture of herself on her desk?!”

So my step-son is coming over tonight to have dinner at a local Italian restaurant with mozzarella sticks the size of my head.  But calories don’t count when its your birthday, right??!!   I plan to post breakfast at lunch – see you later!