Let Me Tell You About Apryl . . .
It's my prep hour and I've only got a couple of minutes but thought I would start here and maybe finish up tonight after supper. I want to tell you a little about my siblings.
I'll start by telling you about my older sister, Apryl who is just five years older than I am. When I was born, I don't think I was Apryl's immediate best friend. It would be hard for a new baby to come along after five years and take the spotlight away from a beautiful five year old.
Some of my best memories of Apryl was when I was about eight years old and we moved into our new house. She, being the oldest, got a room to herself which is only fair I guess. She is an amazing artist and with our parents permission, drew murals all over her walls with washable markers.
Now remember it was the sixties back then and teenagers were just starting to rebel a little and fight for their own little niche in the world. Apryl was no different, although I don't remember her rebeling so much as fighting for her niche. The murals she would draw were unbelievable! Cyndi and I used to sneak into her room to admire them. You could be lost forever in some of those drawings. We had to sneak because noone was ever allowed in her room. Her room was always very neat and clean. Her bed was always made and you would never find her clothes anywhere but hung up or put in their proper place. We loved Apryl's room and I know at least I used to lay on her bed when she wasn't home and secretly wish that it could be my room. It was so perfect, so just right and I loved the grown up feeling I got when I laid there pretending to be her. Boy did I run if I heard her come home though. I'd have to straighten her bed and quietly close her door and hurry to be doing something in my room so as not to be discovered. I'm not sure she even knows to this day how much I loved pretending to be as cool as her.
In those days she was the queen of cool in my eyes. I think it was about 1966 or so and oh, those were some crazy days in the world! When I got to be in Jr. High School I was still in awe of her artistic abilities and wanting to be a part of it, coaxed her into drawing with pen and ink all over my legs. Still not quite sure why my parents allowed it but did I ever think I was cool. By the time she was done I looked like I had a tattoo all over my legs. I loved it! Sadly, all her hard work only last a day or two. Do you know how hard it is to shower or bathe and not get your legs wet? Ya - not easy, so I would coax and promise and make deals until I could talk her into doing it again. Sometimes I would bleed alittle and it's amazing that I didn't get blood poisoning. I think it was her way of trying to make me not want her to do it again but it didn't work, not for a while anyway.
Apryl got married when she was eighteen and moved to Lethbridge. Even though Cyndi and I took turns getting to have her room, it wasn't the same. I don't think that room was ever "cool" again but the memory of it's coolness lived on for many years.
Apryl had a baby girl, Barb, while they lived in Lethbridge. A few months later she moved to Picture Butte with her husband in the nicest trailer I had ever seen. Again I was a little envious of what I perceived as her living the perfect little life.
I loved the weekends I got to go and spend with them and babysit Barb. One summer Apryl cut her hand while washing dishes and couldn't diaper or bath the baby anymore because of the many stitches she had so I got to spend a week or so with them. We went to a movie in Lethbridge one night and on the way home her husband asked me if I wanted to drive. I was only fourteen and didn't quite have my learner's permit so what do you think? Of course, I thought this was great. They had a "cool" red Maverick but unfortunately it was a stick shift and at the time I didn't even know what that meant. I climbed behind the wheel on the highway to Picture Butte and let her rip. Literally, I thought I had dropped the clutch on the road behind us. I could not get the feel for that standard transmission and we jerked and lurched all the way home. I have to say though that it was great fun for me. Weeks later when my friends and I were taking turns trying to drive Ron Schow's volkswagon up on the back roads of the east hill I at least could drive. I'm not saying it didn't jerk and lurch a ton, but at least I didn't kill it every time I let out the clutch like everyone else did.
Apryl has always been someone I looked up to. I got to go stay with her when she was living in Rexburg going to college. I had the most amazing time.
I fell in love with all of her family home evening brothers (I think I was all of 14 years old) and loved sitting in on some of her classes with her. I felt so grown up! We went shopping and hung out at her apartment and I just pretended like I belonged. Ya, I didn't looked like I was in college but nevertheless Apryl made me feel like I belonged and I think it was that week that made me decide to follow in her footsteps and go to school in Rexburg. I'll never forget that week though I'm not sure Apryl remembers it much but I had a blast!
It's my prep hour and I've only got a couple of minutes but thought I would start here and maybe finish up tonight after supper. I want to tell you a little about my siblings.
I'll start by telling you about my older sister, Apryl who is just five years older than I am. When I was born, I don't think I was Apryl's immediate best friend. It would be hard for a new baby to come along after five years and take the spotlight away from a beautiful five year old.Some of my best memories of Apryl was when I was about eight years old and we moved into our new house. She, being the oldest, got a room to herself which is only fair I guess. She is an amazing artist and with our parents permission, drew murals all over her walls with washable markers.
Now remember it was the sixties back then and teenagers were just starting to rebel a little and fight for their own little niche in the world. Apryl was no different, although I don't remember her rebeling so much as fighting for her niche. The murals she would draw were unbelievable! Cyndi and I used to sneak into her room to admire them. You could be lost forever in some of those drawings. We had to sneak because noone was ever allowed in her room. Her room was always very neat and clean. Her bed was always made and you would never find her clothes anywhere but hung up or put in their proper place. We loved Apryl's room and I know at least I used to lay on her bed when she wasn't home and secretly wish that it could be my room. It was so perfect, so just right and I loved the grown up feeling I got when I laid there pretending to be her. Boy did I run if I heard her come home though. I'd have to straighten her bed and quietly close her door and hurry to be doing something in my room so as not to be discovered. I'm not sure she even knows to this day how much I loved pretending to be as cool as her.
In those days she was the queen of cool in my eyes. I think it was about 1966 or so and oh, those were some crazy days in the world! When I got to be in Jr. High School I was still in awe of her artistic abilities and wanting to be a part of it, coaxed her into drawing with pen and ink all over my legs. Still not quite sure why my parents allowed it but did I ever think I was cool. By the time she was done I looked like I had a tattoo all over my legs. I loved it! Sadly, all her hard work only last a day or two. Do you know how hard it is to shower or bathe and not get your legs wet? Ya - not easy, so I would coax and promise and make deals until I could talk her into doing it again. Sometimes I would bleed alittle and it's amazing that I didn't get blood poisoning. I think it was her way of trying to make me not want her to do it again but it didn't work, not for a while anyway.Apryl got married when she was eighteen and moved to Lethbridge. Even though Cyndi and I took turns getting to have her room, it wasn't the same. I don't think that room was ever "cool" again but the memory of it's coolness lived on for many years.
Apryl had a baby girl, Barb, while they lived in Lethbridge. A few months later she moved to Picture Butte with her husband in the nicest trailer I had ever seen. Again I was a little envious of what I perceived as her living the perfect little life.I loved the weekends I got to go and spend with them and babysit Barb. One summer Apryl cut her hand while washing dishes and couldn't diaper or bath the baby anymore because of the many stitches she had so I got to spend a week or so with them. We went to a movie in Lethbridge one night and on the way home her husband asked me if I wanted to drive. I was only fourteen and didn't quite have my learner's permit so what do you think? Of course, I thought this was great. They had a "cool" red Maverick but unfortunately it was a stick shift and at the time I didn't even know what that meant. I climbed behind the wheel on the highway to Picture Butte and let her rip. Literally, I thought I had dropped the clutch on the road behind us. I could not get the feel for that standard transmission and we jerked and lurched all the way home. I have to say though that it was great fun for me. Weeks later when my friends and I were taking turns trying to drive Ron Schow's volkswagon up on the back roads of the east hill I at least could drive. I'm not saying it didn't jerk and lurch a ton, but at least I didn't kill it every time I let out the clutch like everyone else did.
Apryl has always been someone I looked up to. I got to go stay with her when she was living in Rexburg going to college. I had the most amazing time.
I fell in love with all of her family home evening brothers (I think I was all of 14 years old) and loved sitting in on some of her classes with her. I felt so grown up! We went shopping and hung out at her apartment and I just pretended like I belonged. Ya, I didn't looked like I was in college but nevertheless Apryl made me feel like I belonged and I think it was that week that made me decide to follow in her footsteps and go to school in Rexburg. I'll never forget that week though I'm not sure Apryl remembers it much but I had a blast!
Apryl has always been amazing to me. She is an amazing woman and a great example of what being a grandma is all about. She has worked her whole life, sometimes two jobs at a time to take care of her family and make things a little nicer for her family. Everything she touches becomes a work of art and I envy her for that.
Now she lives so very far away in Edmonton and I miss her. She has always been supportive and loving to me and my family and I love her for that. We don't get to see each other only maybe once or twice a year but we try to make the best of it when we do get together.My wish for her is that she will find the happiness she deserves because she does, she deserves the best. I love ya sis!
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