Technically, I don't have any sisters. I grew up with brothers, though happily acquired 2 sisters-in-law along the way. But now I am part ofThe Sisters.
My three Sisters, L, N and S grew up on the same street in Edmonton so they have a lot of history together.
I grew up on a different street in Edmonton. Starting in the late eighties, I worked at a big accounting firm where I bumped into L and we got to be pretty good work chums. Then we discovered that I didn't mind babysitting in exchange for the odd good meal not covered in cellophane and requiring a microwave to cook. And L loved trying new dishes on willing guinea pigs (even if said guinea pig is a bit fussy about onions and peppers). And she had an adorable young daughter who didn't mind hanging out watching Disney movies for a few hours with an aging spinster. Very symbiotic. (Said adorable daughter is now in nursing school.)
In the mid nineties, I moved to Vancouver, where S lived. And so S and I got to be good friends, watching ER every Thursday night and discussing vast theological issues. Every summer N and L, still committed Edmontonians, would pilgrim west for an annual summer gatherings - with kids (theirs, I was still single and kidless). We enjoyed food, walks and lots of laughter. Oh and games of bingo, lip sync contests and playing whale in the pool.
Somewhere along the way, L and I became good cops for our predilection for following rules and being group organizers of food, walks and other activities. S and N became the bad cops for serious infractions such as taking my picture in grotesque maternity pyjamas.
We've had some interesting escapades like the time S decided she needed a break from the humdrum of life. I guess because she couldn't find any last minute cruises, she thought a brain bleed might earn her a couple weeks in the neuro ICU. L and N hopped on a plane to Vancouver, slept on my living room floor and we took turns visiting S at Vancouver General Hospital. This mostly including giving S foot massages and answering the same questions every 45 seconds as she had a bit of a short term memory problem. She has fully recovered though anytime she can't remember a name or place, she blames Dr. Toyota, who happens to be the neurologist who saved her life. The rest of us do not have convenient Toyota excuse.
A couple years later, around the time we all turned 40, we birthed the idea of a girls' weekend about the same time as I was getting ready to birth J. I had acquired Husband by then was with child to the tune of 8 months. So with the stipulation of being somewhere near a major hospital and in accommodations where I could have 16 naps a day, we had our first girls' weekend.
Around our 45th birthdays, we did another weekend, appropriately labelled Desperate Housewives and included spa treatments on the menu of fantastic things to do together. We decided it should be an annual event. Which it has now become.
Without further ado, I present: The Sisters:
My three Sisters, L, N and S grew up on the same street in Edmonton so they have a lot of history together.
I grew up on a different street in Edmonton. Starting in the late eighties, I worked at a big accounting firm where I bumped into L and we got to be pretty good work chums. Then we discovered that I didn't mind babysitting in exchange for the odd good meal not covered in cellophane and requiring a microwave to cook. And L loved trying new dishes on willing guinea pigs (even if said guinea pig is a bit fussy about onions and peppers). And she had an adorable young daughter who didn't mind hanging out watching Disney movies for a few hours with an aging spinster. Very symbiotic. (Said adorable daughter is now in nursing school.)
In the mid nineties, I moved to Vancouver, where S lived. And so S and I got to be good friends, watching ER every Thursday night and discussing vast theological issues. Every summer N and L, still committed Edmontonians, would pilgrim west for an annual summer gatherings - with kids (theirs, I was still single and kidless). We enjoyed food, walks and lots of laughter. Oh and games of bingo, lip sync contests and playing whale in the pool.
Somewhere along the way, L and I became good cops for our predilection for following rules and being group organizers of food, walks and other activities. S and N became the bad cops for serious infractions such as taking my picture in grotesque maternity pyjamas.
We've had some interesting escapades like the time S decided she needed a break from the humdrum of life. I guess because she couldn't find any last minute cruises, she thought a brain bleed might earn her a couple weeks in the neuro ICU. L and N hopped on a plane to Vancouver, slept on my living room floor and we took turns visiting S at Vancouver General Hospital. This mostly including giving S foot massages and answering the same questions every 45 seconds as she had a bit of a short term memory problem. She has fully recovered though anytime she can't remember a name or place, she blames Dr. Toyota, who happens to be the neurologist who saved her life. The rest of us do not have convenient Toyota excuse.
A couple years later, around the time we all turned 40, we birthed the idea of a girls' weekend about the same time as I was getting ready to birth J. I had acquired Husband by then was with child to the tune of 8 months. So with the stipulation of being somewhere near a major hospital and in accommodations where I could have 16 naps a day, we had our first girls' weekend.
Around our 45th birthdays, we did another weekend, appropriately labelled Desperate Housewives and included spa treatments on the menu of fantastic things to do together. We decided it should be an annual event. Which it has now become.
Without further ado, I present: The Sisters:
Sister S.Cop Status: Bad
Likes: journaling (she is very enlightened); eating extremely strange foods (crab guts).
Best Known For: getting up very early to journal; fighting N's suggestions of new clothes to try on ("that's TOO BRIGHT!"); being very good natured about a lot off ribbing on Sisters' weekends.
Frequently Found: sleeping (anywhere, anytime, often with her journal in her hands).
Never Found: shopping (unless N is around).
Sister N.Cop Status: Bad.
Likes: taking naps especially in the car (generally not while driving); taking group pictures.
Best Known for: cleaning up after dinner so the kitchen counter could be used as operating table; battling S to pick up the tab; being shopper extraordinaire (especially for S who kind of does need the help).
Frequently Found: accosting perfect strangers to request their services as our group photographer (really, you couldn't let that guy putt out before we had our picture taken?).
Never Found: eating fried food or drinking sweetened drinks.
Sister L.Cop Status: Good.
Likes: food (cooking it, shopping for it, eating it).
Best Known For: serious soccer addiction ( playing, watching - who else has 3 specialty soccer channels?); ALWAYS ordering the best meals in restaurants.
Frequently Found: looking for yoga classes; browsing through recipe books; cooking dinner for the sisters.
Never Found: squatting (claims not to be able to, which is a disability doing yoga, but she perseveres).
Sister H. (aka Konnie)
Cop Status: Good.
Likes: drinking RED WINE with L.; lots of food just not with onions or peppers.
Best Known For: complaining about eating too much on Sisters' weekends; chastising Bad Cops for serious infractions such as taking too many items into dressing rooms (they have limits for a reason you know!)
Frequently Found: rolling eyes at N over constant picture taking; looking at pictures of Sisters' weekend gone by and secretly thanking N for taking all those bloody pictures.
Never Found: at yoga class or talking about freaking chakras.
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