Katherine, me, my mom and dad, and Elizabeth last week at my dad’s ceremony.

Last week, I had the privilege of seeing my father inducted into the Maritime Patrol & Reconnaissance Hall of Honor. My dad’s 35-year Naval career included piloting P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft during Vietnam and the Cold War and this award honored his loyal service to our country and his years of keeping the United States safe. I’m so proud of him.

Both of my sisters were there for the ceremony and since it was held midweek, our spouses and kids did not make the trip down to Jacksonville, Florida for the event. Hanging out with my sisters without our families made me think about what it was like to grow up with them. As the three of us walked down the beach last week, I realized that we were not just sisters, but great girlfriends. We share what is going on in our current lives, but can also remember stories from our youth.

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  Elizabeth, Katherine and me circa The Olden Days.

  Like the time Katherine and I begged my mom to try on Elizabeth’s white go-go boots (while she was not home) and my mom said “Do what you like, but if she finds out, don’t come running to me.” Well, she did find out only because we stretched out the white vinyl.

• Or the time 4-year-old Katherine had a stomach bug and Elizabeth and I thought it was a good idea to feed her red jello and celery. “Mom, Katherine threw up!”
• And the multiple times we stayed in Navy hotels where the bed sheets always smelled like beans.
• And how I, the shyest one, always had to call the pizza place to order or call the radio station to be the 9th caller. (I did score Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors on 8-track…don’t be jealous.)
• Or one winter, I was ice skating pretending to be Peggy Fleming (look her up if you just said “Peggy who?”) and fell on my face. My dad was away and my mom put us all in the VW bug and had Elizabeth and Katherine sit with me in the back seat and hold a towel on my bloody chin so we could drive to the hospital for stitches. And I am sure none of us had seat belts on…it just wasn’t something you did back then.

Elizabeth, Katherine and me last week on the beach.

So what does all of this have to do with USG? Well, it doesn’t really and you can tell it’s the end of the semester when I just freestyle my blog post. But I hope you enjoyed taking a little trip down memory lane with me and congratulating my dad on his stellar award which he definitely couldn’t have achieved without my amazing mom….and his three fabulous daughters, of course…