Monday, November 19, 2007

"My Name Is Not Danette!"

It was 2:22 a.m. on 2-22 several years ago. Mom was ready, the baby was ready, but the doctor was not quite ready! So, she waited until 2:26 to make her entrance. Bellehog had arrived and she seemed to cry for the first ten weeks of her life. Of course, when your sister wants to name you "Pignail", you are probably going to have a rough time of it!
Belle is the number two kid of the family, and we would be much poorer without her. She arrived in Anderson, Indiana, becoming our only Hoosier. Now she lives in Kentucky, so perhaps living in Indiana, Ohio and now Kentucky has contributed to her becoming the person she is today.
Once while driving on the interstate, she was involved in an accident. She was hit from behind. When she called to tell me, she said after being hit she steered her car off the roadway to avoid hitting the car in front of her. I asked her if she went into the median, and she replied, "No, I drove into the grassy area in the middle!"
Our family has a tradition of going on Family Vacation every June. Our most cherished memories come from those times together. Our lowest rated vacation was probably when we went to Mackinac Island a few years ago. It was a little too chilly to receive a high rating in the Family Lavy Actual Vacation Official Rating System (FLAVORS). However, that week gave us two anecdotes that have helped us to remember Belle in a special way.
We were walking on the island and viewing the remains of ancient Fort Mackinac. High above us, the wall of the fort was visible on a steep cliff. Thorny bushes covered the hillside. Belle remarked that the attackers would have had a terribly difficult time navigating through all the "sticker bushes". We reminded her that the arrows, musket fire, cannons and maybe even the occasional cauldron of hot oil poured over the side might have been worse than the brambles.
Finally, we took a carriage ride around the island. (I might add, this is a beautiful island, especially when the lilacs are blooming. If you don't mind a little chill in the air, I recommend Mackinac Island as a vacation spot.) We were able to rent a carriage and actually drive it with a team of calm horses. The girls took turns driving while Brent and I said prayers and hung onto whatever was available. Belle eventually took the reins and apparently did something which Mom did not like. Mom said, mistakenly, "Allyson, watch what you are doing!" Belle replied indignantly, "MY NAME IS NOT DANETTE!"
The lesson we have all learned from Belle is this: if you are going to have a second kid, you will want one exactly like our dear Bellehog!

6 comments:

Regi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Regi said...

LOL That is absolutely hilarious! I really do remember that. We were all fighting over who was driving the carriage, and who knew how to do it best. FLAVORS did show that Mackinac Island was probably the lowest rated. It was definitely the rainy chilly weather that gave it such a low rating. The island itself was definitely beautiful and I wouldn't mind going back.

Dani said...

I guess it could have been worse! :P

Anonymous said...

DANETTE! Are you a traitor or what?! You should like the Hoosiers! I wasn't even born there but that is the state that I claim! Oh well, to each his own! Go HOOSIERS!!!!

Anonymous said...

The "ancient" Fort Mackinac you are referring to is actually Fort Holmes (Fort George when the British first built it). I'm not sure how "ancient" it was since it was built in 1812! Fort Mackinac is not in ruins, the buildings, stonework and ramps are still there from when the soldiers occupied the fort from 1779-1895.

LJL said...

Thank you for your input, Anonymous.