53- Laying in front of the big fireplace with Granny & Pop while they told us stories about life when they were young
52- Finding a opossum deep in a barrel and watching my Pop shoot it. It had rabies and was not well
51- Playing in the shop with Steph & Pop chasing us out...after drinking too much
50- Getting a CD player in our house & not being able to touch it because it was so special only the adults could use it
49- Basketball games in the driveway
48- Dad falling out of the boat nearly crushing his face on the pier at Borgwarts
47- Steph being scared thinking she heard a bear at the cabin & mom telling her it was just dad snoring
46- Learning to chop wood at the cabin when I was about 8 or 9 years old
45- Catching so many fish at Busy Adams we could not take them off the line fast enough to rebait our hooks
44- Having Granny remove a fishbone from my throat with a pair of needle nose pliers
43- Playing PUSH on the houseboat in Canada
42- Pitching in softball and having a huge piece of gum fall out of my mouth while I was on the mound
41- Melody Waves
40- Learning that my brother had fallen getting out of the boat at the house on 27 & watching my dad sprint to the car to go get him to make sure he was safe
39- Listening to Pop & Granny fight over the science facts like where the north star is
38- Sitting my with grandma Chop the night before she died talking about how I would go to college, get married and have babies. I have done all those things & think of that night often.
37- My dad putting clothes in the microwave to dry them after being out in the snow & burning a hole in them
36- Mom working late & dad making us eat vegetable beef stew...yuck!!
35- The smell of Salem cigarettes
34- Playing in the greenhouse in shorts when the snow was piled up outside the windows
33- Being on house boat in Canada and thinking this has to be one of the most amazing places on earth
32- Seriously Hunting Snipes
31- Playing in the barn at Granny & Pop's old house in Indiana & having a black snake be right above my sister's head & her totally freaking out
29- My brother & I wrestling in the rec room & my screaming for help...when my mom would yell down "what's going on down there" my reply so we don't all get busted " I love you"
28- My parents trusting me enough to put me on a hopper plane to Chicago & my mom telling me "just read the signs to find your connection & if you need help talk to someone in a uniform" Life before cell phones
27- My sister & I being chased by goats at Granny & Pop's house on 27
26- Throwing up in the back seat of the car for 85% of that same trip to DC
25- The trip to Washington DC & seeing my dad cry at The Wall
24- Crying that my dad was leaving to go to Mexico for work and not understanding why he had to go
23- Walking in from being out at dinner & Santa had brought us bikes before we left for FL
22- Getting to go to McDonald's with my mom when my brother and sister where still in school
21- Jack Tales
20- Getting numbered presents from my grandma Chop & knowing the best one was always last
19- Playing basketball in the greenhouse
18- Having a haunted house in the top of the barn for girl scouts & being scared out of my mind!
17- Johara - my second horse - her love of peppermints
16- Fiesty - my first horse - tearing across the front yard at lighting speed ripping the lawn to pieces
15- Benny - my protector not leaving my side the first time I stay home alone
14- Sonoma - she wanted a baby so badly she mothered a red squeaker hedgehog
13- Kit - named after Nightrider because my brother is lame & also because he could speak my brother's name
12- Bright Eyes - my only bird that was quickly killed by my one of many cats
11- Sadie - finding her with Steph in the garage & being so scared until we realized how sweet she was
10- Katie Lucky Puppy - tackling Jake down by the barn
9- K-9 - he was a humper
8- Lambchop - feeding her grapes in the kitchen
7- Sam - her love of sleeping on my head
6- Diamond - finding her under the truck in the snow with Steph & then Steph asking dad to put her in the oven to warm her up
5- Pepper - my sweet guardian with a grey muzzle
4 -Disneyworld...every year
3- Riding the 3 wheeled bike down the lane out to 27 to get the mail & being nervous to turn off the driveway for those last 10 feet