Judy is like a moving expert. She has lived in 17 different places throughout her life. I don't know about you, but that seems like a LOT to me!

Today we are reading and talking about "Places I've Lived". 

We talk about how each place she's lived is defined by the memories that were made there. In California, it was making a home with her husband and baby. Then when she moved back to Wisconsin, the home was one of a childhood friend. Now, she lives in a home that is perfect for her current lifestyle.

Have you heard of the tiny house movement? Well, if you haven't it is people who live in a home that is less than 400 square feet and try to simplify their lives by living with less. 

My sister Michelle was at the forefront of this idea--or maybe on the opposite side???--while in college in the late 80s. She and her roommate tried to see just how much comfort and hominess they could pack into a standard 180 square foot dorm room!

In this episode, we are writing and talking about "Places I've Lived". Michelle's legacy writing is called "Dorm Sweet Dorm". We talk about her living arrangements over the years and the family members that were always ready with a paintbrush!

My Grandma Doris was recovering in a nursing home for a few weeks after falling in her yard and breaking her hip. We were planning a pizza party on Friday when she was going to be moving into my house for the summer. I got the call on Tuesday morning that she had passed. 

In this episode, Judy and I talk about "A Most Interesting Person" and I read my legacy writing titled "My Feisty Grandma".

I had really looked forward to Grandma moving in. My boys were small and I anticipated that she would bring stores, laughter, and moral support to our house. Now that she's gone, I realize just how little I knew her and her personal stories. 

"A girl's father is the first man in her life and probably the most influential." --David Jerimiah

I don't know that Judy would say MOST influential, but VERY influential...yes!

In today's episode, Judy and I talk about a "Most Interesting Person". She reads her legacy writing about her father and we talk about the last time he visited when she lived in Waterloo Iowa and the good memories they made together. We touch on her dad's political views and his very patriarchal approach to his wife and daughter taking care of him. Then we wrap up and laugh about the gory details of rubbing his feet and how he considered boxer shorts, a t-shirt, and hat appropriate outerwear on the weekends.

Do you have any family members that you remember with awe? Do you have a relative who lived life to the fullest? In this episode, Sandy talks about a "Most Interesting Family Member"...her Aunt Joan. This lady was striking, sophisticated, and fun. Sandy talks about how her aunt taught her about collecting butterflies and about perennial gardening. We also discuss the summer adventures that she had as a child visiting with her Aunt Joan in Madison.

Do you have a relative that everyone hates to love? Well, in Michelle's family it was Uncle Lloyd. He was an eccentric, grumpy, old, fart of a man. In today's episode, Michelle and I talk about a "Most Interesting Family Member". We reminisce about summer memories she made when visiting him during several childhood summers. Michelle lets us in on how she used Uncle Lloyd's passion for clowning to traumatize her family. Then, we touch on Lloyd's love of living in the buff!

You've heard of tall, dark, and handsome, well, my first REAL kiss was with someone tall, blond, and skinny--but I was looking so forward to that first smooch!!! (We were just kids.) In today's episode, Judy and I talk about kissing. I share my legacy writing and we discuss what happens when the wrong boy catches me in "Boys Chase Girls". I recount the details of my first REAL kiss and how we found it interesting that some of us Sidetracked Sisters were more boy-crazy while others were more shy or uninterested. Then we briefly touch on the sweet kisses of our children. 

Lots of us have memories of playing chase games between the boys and girls during recess in Elementary school. In Michelle's memory, it was a sweet memory due to a slow running boy! Today, I talk with my sister about kissing. She shares her legacy writing, and we reminisce about recess. She also shares a memory of how a first kiss can affect your mood...maybe even your personality. Finally, we discuss the classic move where a boy does the big arm stretch before casually putting his arm over your shoulders for the first time.

As a kid, I knew of the game called "Spin the Bottle" but never played it myself. My mom, however, played and was BUSTED playing an even more intense childhood kissing game. In this episode, I talk with my mom about girl parties! (It gets interesting when boys are invited in through a basement window.) Somehow, we transition into the controversy of dating someone from a different Christian denomination and then move into memories from catechism class.

Have you ever heard someone relate the story of a perfect first kiss? Or, have you perhaps experienced the perfect first kiss yourself? In this episode, Judy and Lisa talk about kissing. She shares her legacy writing and tells about (arguably) the most movie-worthy first kiss I have ever heard. She also shares a disgusting story about chewing gum and about how her mom and dad were so sweetly romantic--on a daily basis--with one another.