Happy Birthday, Maureen!!

Today is the birthday of one of my all-time favorite people in the entire world, my cousin, Maureen.

Barbara (standing) Maureen, Norman, Char, Marvin Paolini, Mickey

Anyone that has read this blog for even a minute, knows how important Maureen is to our family. She is not only one of the huge cousins group, she is also Aunt Meta and Uncle Lorin's oldest daughter. The ranch was central to all of our lives which meant Maureen was part of that equation. I can't remember a time without Maureen in it. She has always been more like a big sister to me than a cousin. She always treated me more like a sister as well. Like the time, when I was about three years old and I had a brand-new baby sister who wore cloth diapers. I remember watching my mother rinse the dirty diapers in the toilet. So, it just made sense to me, when Maureen visited, to take her brand-new pantsuit from her suitcase and rinse it in the toilet. She responded like a sister. I'm not sure how I'm still alive. 

Maureen lived with my parents for awhile. I would have been about ten years old. She and Char lived together in the backhouse in South Gate. They both wore those crazy beehive hairdos and bought matching camaros. Weirdos. I could never understand leaving the ranch to live in the city but Maureen fit right in. She's a fancy girl who loves animals. Truth be told, I worshipped both of them. They were perfect to me and they still are. 

Maureen has one daughter, my cousin Gwennie. She is going to kill me for posting this picture from her teenage weirdo years but hey, am I sorry? Not even maybe. I adore Gwennie. She is one of the best people in my life and I give her mother tons of credit for that. Maureen is not only a wonderful cousin/big sister, she is a really good mom who raised a really good human being. 

This is a picture of Maureen dancing with our cousin, Marvin at my parents fiftieth wedding anniversary. Maureen has always been so good to all of us in the family. My parents and sisters adored her as do all the family. Maureen is the person that always checked in on my parents, cooked and baked for them and later for Kelly when she was so sick. Honestly, Maureen cooks and bakes for all of us when she shows up at our houses. It's normal to have a full freezer by the time she leaves your house. This is who she is. Kind and loving and giving of herself and her time.

I love this picture. It sits on a little table in my hallway with pictures of my kids and sisters and parents. Maureen and Mickey came to Oklahoma several times to stay with us. I loved every minute of their visits and always felt so loved that they would come all that way just to see us. Another thing about Maureen that endears her to me is her love for animals. She always has a dog. Always. And where she and Larry go, the dog goes. That is an animal lover and I love her for that. She also never calls me crazy for my crazy animal obsession. I love her for that.

These are my cousins, Noelyn, Mickey and Maureen with our oldest son, Matthew. They came all the way to Annapolis for our son John's graduation from the Naval Academy. That meant the world to me. Maureen has always and I mean always treated my kids really well. Even when they were little jerks, she loved them and showed nothing but support. All my kids call her Aunt Maureen because, like I said, she's more like a sister to me.

Ok, I stole this from her FaceBook page because I just had to point something out. See that look on her face? See the hands on her hips? This means run because she is probably heading to the kitchen any minute to get the polenta stick and you don't want any part of that when she starts swinging. And for all you yuppie, sissie people who have something to say about the psychological damage of spanking.... Shaddup! I got whacked and turned out fine. Ok, maybe not the best example.

Look at these two. 💓 Maureen and Larry married a year before Bob and I. Larry loves her the way Bob loves me. This makes me love Larry because of the way he loves Maureen. It's a happy little circle.

Ok, we get it. You like each other. In the words of my kids, old people love. Gross! Speaking of kids, watch the hands, Larry. Sheesh! I might be jealous of those gams. 

Happy Birthday, Maureen!! I love you and Larry and Gwennie more than words can say and I'm so grateful you're my family.