I met my second niece when she was just a couple weeks old. My parents were very excited about this grandparent thing, so we packed up the car, drove all night to Arizona where my brother was stationed, and saw the new addition to the family. There is a Polaroid snapshot in a book somewhere of me holding her in my hands. I was 11 at the time, by now a 3 time uncle and an old hand at this. I only got to see her a few times a year, as we lived in northern California and my brother was in the Air Force, so they lived in several places, all a long way from us, all over the world. Except for the three years they were in Panama, I managed to see them as often as I could. My niece always loved to sit in laps, so I spent many hours with her there, reading her stories and playing with her. She was quiet, studious, and very very sweet. As she grew older, she retained her sweetness, but left the quiet part behind. She grew into a lovely, fun person, striking off on her own to college and eventually a career in dentistry. "Sucking spit" as she refers to it. As an Air Force kid, she managed to have friends all over the world. I had the pleasure of meeting a few 'gentleman callers' and giving them the once over. While I enjoyed this immensely, she was probably just a bit concerned that I might scare them away, or at least make them wonder about the family. At her wedding, I met her husband for the first time. As I shook his hand, she told me, 'uncle Kerry, don't do that, I told him all about you' Rats. Oh well. She made a very good choice, he is a terrific husband, father and person.
Recently, she became an Advisory Commissioner for the parks and rec department where she lives. Pretty impressive, but she still calls me 'unc'. I hope she remembers me when she is elected to the Senate, the House, or the White House.
Happy Birthday, April Marie.
