I make a big stink about being the fourth of six children born to Anne and Steve. I DEMAND everyone's complete and undivided attention when I'm telling a story, I cry foul if I'm excluded, and I will get directly in your face and ask clarifying questions if you say something confusing to me. But it's actually wonderful to be able to fly under the radar as I do. As a child I was often "lost in the shuffle", and as a result was able to spend 80-85% of the day in my own little made up world. It's actually a lot less pathetic than it sounds. I remember stealing a letter opener from my brother, and squirreling it away under a tree. I would go to the tree with a wet paper towel, and dab my cheeks, pretending to cry over the death of my parents and Siamese twin sister. I would hop around on one foot with one arm behind my back (my sister had the other leg and arm, you see), and I would have to pull out the letter opener, using it to fend off circus workers. I think that last part was from Toby Tyler, or something. Like I said, super unpathetic.
ANYWAY, the person who really has it rough, as much as it pains me to say, is the baby. Brittany AKA Bunny. I think life as the baby in our family would be hard for someone who wasn't as easy-going and good humored as Bunny (Britt, if you're reading this, maybe you can say something nice about me on the internet...). My mom likes to say that baby girl would start smiling before she even opened her eyes in the morning, but enough gushing over Brittany, let's talk about how mean we were/are to her. Not REALLY mean to her, we never wanted to break her spirit. However, we wanted to make sure that she knew, just because her baby book was filled out all the way, she was NOT top dog (which reminds me, I'll have to tell you about Sandbo Family personalized sweatshirts). It seems that our attitudes have kind of rubbed off on the younger generation. For example, Bunny was once talking about her feelings, or something, and our niece Brooke, who was three at the time, said "don't say that Bunny!" Britt's response, "Brookey. I...I...I can say whatever I want!" Brooke shrugged. Everyone knows that Bunny can't say whatever she wants. And just last weekend, Brittany asked our other three year old niece, Lauryn, to walk on her back. Lauryn obliged, but then started jumping on Bunny's back. Brittany asked her to stop, in gasps, then demanded she stop. We were all just laughing, but Stephany had the presence of mind to hold Lauryn's hand so she could jump more easily. "PLEASE!" grunted Britt, "I CAN'T BREATHE!". That's serious, so after a few more minutes Lauryn stopped.
One day, and one day only, Brittany lost it. Our parents were gone, but all of us kids were home. As you can imagine, that's when the best stuff happened. We were taunting the girl, sure, anything she did we had something to say about. I guess after 4 to 6 hours of this, she wanted out. She packed up a stuff sack, which we thought was hilarious, she turned and I swear to you I saw a flash of feral in her eyes. She scurried past us, and booked it out the door. Luckily we had a feisty little mutt who could attack on command. We sent him after her, he was a little confused and ran right past her, catching her legs as he pasted. So there she was bum over kettle, stuff sack strewn across the yard. THE REST OF US WERE DYING!!!! I want you to just think about it for a second. An eight year old, with a purple nylon stuff sack, probably about 3 feet in length, wearing a large dingey flowery t-shirt dress, running down her front yard hill. Up at the top of the hill you see an older sibling, yell attack and point towards the little girl. Out runs a stinky little dog. The little girl is airborne for a few seconds as the dog races past her. HILARIOUS, ladies and gentleman, ABSOLUTELY hilarious!!!! Brittany was not deterred. She grabbed her things, and ran towards the backyard. We all followed behind, laughing like you wouldn't believe! I can't really convey to you, how much Brittany looked like a caged animal. He back was bent, she was stooped, her hair was in her face, which was covered in dirt and grass stains. After whipping her head, wildly looking for a place to run, she remembered the backyard is fenced in. Where could she go? The trampoline, of course! We would never be able to get her if she hopped up onto the trampoline. So, there she was in the middle of the 10ft. trampoline, with the rest of us circling her. Emily and I jumped up to wrestle her to the ground. It was then that the stuff sack became like a helicopter, spinning above Bunny's head, threatening to smack us if we got too close. One of us was able to snatch Britt's makeshift weapon, while someone else grabbed her. We got her back inside, we made her some Top Raman, and all was well. But we probably teased her about how she ate it.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
In Case You Don't Read the Comments...
My sister Emily cleared somethings up for us all. She said, and I quote:
"I would like to make a few things clear:
1. Brittany was never a super sister. We too were exclusive, and would never allow a baby to be part of our group.
2. Andrew and I had a very involved plan of attack to steal Kate from the older sisters and almost did it too, but the details are fuzzy for me too."
She seems to remember grabbing one of my legs, and Andrew grabbed the other, and my older sisters had an arm each, and playing tug-of-war with me, in the kitchen while mummsie was on the phone. She also has said that she loves spending one on one time with Andrew. But she hasn't gotten a chance to do so since the War of '89, so it was a real blessing... a real blessing.
When I brought it up to Brittany that she thought she was a "Super Sister" when in fact she was not, her response was (shrug) "I sounded familiar"
Sorry for the confusion, and Thank you Emmy!
"I would like to make a few things clear:
1. Brittany was never a super sister. We too were exclusive, and would never allow a baby to be part of our group.
2. Andrew and I had a very involved plan of attack to steal Kate from the older sisters and almost did it too, but the details are fuzzy for me too."
She seems to remember grabbing one of my legs, and Andrew grabbed the other, and my older sisters had an arm each, and playing tug-of-war with me, in the kitchen while mummsie was on the phone. She also has said that she loves spending one on one time with Andrew. But she hasn't gotten a chance to do so since the War of '89, so it was a real blessing... a real blessing.
When I brought it up to Brittany that she thought she was a "Super Sister" when in fact she was not, her response was (shrug) "I sounded familiar"
Sorry for the confusion, and Thank you Emmy!
Friday, November 12, 2010
The War of '89
One of the things I love about coming from a big family (4 sisters and a brother), is the many alliances you form over the years. For example, after watching a National Geographic special, on alligators, Robyn and I became "croc sisters". We had a can-can-like dance, and little chant that went along with it. We didn't do anything special, aside from the song and dance, but we were VERY exclusive, and NO ONE could become another croc sister. I believe my sisters Stephany, Emily and Brittany were "Super Sisters". Now, because I wasn't a member, I don't know exactly what they did, but I believe it had something to key chains and trips to Wendy's. You may look at the descriptions and say that being a "Super Sister" was "cooler", but there were 3 in that faction, and only 2 croc sisters. More exclusive=cooler. Duh.
You may notice someone missing from these friendly associations. Andrew, my brother. Well, ladies and gentleman, that's because he was a typical only boy in a family of girls. That is to say, he was mean. I one time almost started an alliance with him. We were playing basketball in the backyard, and he was bring very nice. I should have known something was up, but being the sensitive Pisces I am, I was just savoring the moment. On a whim, I jumped, twisted and wildly threw the ball behind my head. When I looked at my brother, he was in complete awe.
"Do that again!!!!" So, I did. "Kate, you made BOTH those shots!"
My head was swimming. Not only was my brother impressed, but I finally found something that could get me on Johnny Carson, or perhaps even The Cosby Show. I kept shooting, and kept making them. Andrew clasped his hands under his chin, and watched in amazement. After the 15th or 16th shot, I could actually see tears in his eyes. Maybe we could be the b-ball gang, or something, WHO KNOWS? I thought to myself. As if he had read my thoughts, Andrew chimed "Can I tell you something?"
"Of course Drew, I was thinking I'd start calling you Drew."
"Well sis. You didn't make a single one of those shots, you ding dong!"
My head was spinning. HOW COULD HE? Well, the answer is simple, he could because he was the only boy in a family of girls, and maybe he was a little sore that he wasn't a "Super Sister".
Anyway, all the alliances, all the factions, all the friendly associations, led to the War of '89. I don't know exactly what brought it about. Now that I'm a grown up I think the War may have been a disagreement between the older girls and Andrew. I don't think I was directly wronged in anyway, but I was just so pleased to be included in what the older kids were doing. I was enlisted to fight with the girls, while Andrew scooped up Emily. Brittany was only two at the time, so she was completely useless, and therefore uninvolved. I remember sitting in the playroom, and planning our attack. We didn't want to kill each other, I don't think, but we certainly acted like we did. I was sent behind enemy lines. I belly-crawled across the house to behind the couch, Emily and Andrew's headquarters. I was spotted immediately and sent running for my life back to the playroom.
"What are they planning?" Asked Robyn, upon my return.
"Oh, I don't know. What are your hopes for the future?" I responded. I really wanted to use the time to really get to know my older sisters.
There was some more planning, and then the countdown started. 3-2-1, and we were off. Screaming and waving our arms as we ran through the kitchen, past our mother who was chatting on the phone. Hearing our battle cry, Andrew and Emily came running toward us. Our house isn't that big, so the approach couldn't have lasted more than one second. Somewhere in there Emily got hurt (surprise, surprise), and started crying. This alerted our mom, and she halfheartedly yelled over her shoulder to be nice. Our mother is very soft-spoken, so we knew she meant business. Looking back, I wonder if that wasn't their plan all along. They knew they were outnumbered, and had to play to their strengths (i.e. Emily's wimpyness. JK Emily isn't a wimp. She's actually alarmingly competitive). All in all I can't imagine the War of '89 lasted more than 8 minutes, but boy what a ride!
XOXOXOXO
Kate
You may notice someone missing from these friendly associations. Andrew, my brother. Well, ladies and gentleman, that's because he was a typical only boy in a family of girls. That is to say, he was mean. I one time almost started an alliance with him. We were playing basketball in the backyard, and he was bring very nice. I should have known something was up, but being the sensitive Pisces I am, I was just savoring the moment. On a whim, I jumped, twisted and wildly threw the ball behind my head. When I looked at my brother, he was in complete awe.
"Do that again!!!!" So, I did. "Kate, you made BOTH those shots!"
My head was swimming. Not only was my brother impressed, but I finally found something that could get me on Johnny Carson, or perhaps even The Cosby Show. I kept shooting, and kept making them. Andrew clasped his hands under his chin, and watched in amazement. After the 15th or 16th shot, I could actually see tears in his eyes. Maybe we could be the b-ball gang, or something, WHO KNOWS? I thought to myself. As if he had read my thoughts, Andrew chimed "Can I tell you something?"
"Of course Drew, I was thinking I'd start calling you Drew."
"Well sis. You didn't make a single one of those shots, you ding dong!"
My head was spinning. HOW COULD HE? Well, the answer is simple, he could because he was the only boy in a family of girls, and maybe he was a little sore that he wasn't a "Super Sister".
Anyway, all the alliances, all the factions, all the friendly associations, led to the War of '89. I don't know exactly what brought it about. Now that I'm a grown up I think the War may have been a disagreement between the older girls and Andrew. I don't think I was directly wronged in anyway, but I was just so pleased to be included in what the older kids were doing. I was enlisted to fight with the girls, while Andrew scooped up Emily. Brittany was only two at the time, so she was completely useless, and therefore uninvolved. I remember sitting in the playroom, and planning our attack. We didn't want to kill each other, I don't think, but we certainly acted like we did. I was sent behind enemy lines. I belly-crawled across the house to behind the couch, Emily and Andrew's headquarters. I was spotted immediately and sent running for my life back to the playroom.
"What are they planning?" Asked Robyn, upon my return.
"Oh, I don't know. What are your hopes for the future?" I responded. I really wanted to use the time to really get to know my older sisters.
There was some more planning, and then the countdown started. 3-2-1, and we were off. Screaming and waving our arms as we ran through the kitchen, past our mother who was chatting on the phone. Hearing our battle cry, Andrew and Emily came running toward us. Our house isn't that big, so the approach couldn't have lasted more than one second. Somewhere in there Emily got hurt (surprise, surprise), and started crying. This alerted our mom, and she halfheartedly yelled over her shoulder to be nice. Our mother is very soft-spoken, so we knew she meant business. Looking back, I wonder if that wasn't their plan all along. They knew they were outnumbered, and had to play to their strengths (i.e. Emily's wimpyness. JK Emily isn't a wimp. She's actually alarmingly competitive). All in all I can't imagine the War of '89 lasted more than 8 minutes, but boy what a ride!
XOXOXOXO
Kate
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Lemme Tell You About What I Know About the Facebook
Just wanted to make a quick list of how Facebook has changed since I've been on it. Lest we forget....
1.) I'm allergic to guinea pigs and parakeets. I found this out because I had a constant runny nose and headache starting at age eight (when I got a parakeet), getting worse around age fourteen (when we got a guinea pig), until I was fifteen (when I finally got an allergy test).
2.) When I was little I would drink SO MUCH milk when I had dinner at friends' houses, because I thought it was polite.
3.)During my Freshmen year of college my suitemate and I would throw water balloons at the dorm across the road. One fateful night we shattered some poor girl's window. And we never got caught neither.
4.) The Sandbos are one of VERY few families visited by the Thanksgiving Squirrel each year.
5.) I met my best friend on the first day of Kindergarten.
6.) When I was a in 9th grade I got moved from the JV soccer team to the Freshmen team, after a 6'6'' all-star transferred to my high school from a Christian school, hoping to get more college scouts to look at her. I was so upset that when I got home I spent over an hour trying to get through to Delilah on Warm 106.9. I just knew that if she heard my story she could pick the perfect song to make me feel better. I think it probably would have been "True Colors" by Phil Collins.
7.) I steal juice from little girls.
8.)The top three songs on my iTunes are Rich Girl: Hall and Oates, Sunshowers: M.I.A, and the Cheers Theme Song.
9.) I graduated from college when I was 20.
10.) I get very nervous from extended-family functions. For many reasons, but the main one being, I'm afraid people will think I'm my sister, and I won't have the social skills to correct them.
11.) I used to beg my mom to let me go rifling through the dump, hoping to find a violin.
12.) There are two sets of twins in my immediate family.
13.) My most embarrassing moment is when I asked my fourth grade teacher what a fallopian tube was, and she described it to me in detail.
14.) I won reserve champion in the Guide Dog Quiz Bowl at the 1999 King County Fair.
15.) Uh, I think that's enough.
********************************************************************************************************************
Anyway, the future is now, ever upward (NY state/Kate Sandbo life motto) etc. etc.
XOXOXOXO
Kate
- you used to have to be in college, with an active college e-mail address or a high schooler to get on Facebook. I graduated from college so quickly, that I was unable to sign up as an adult, and had to pretend to be a senior at Lake Washington High School. Several times during that sign-up Facebook told me I was too old to be in high school, and made me change the year I was born.
- There was no News Feed. If you wanted to "check up" on someone, you had to type their name into the search bar, or something. I don't even really remember life before the News Feed.
- It was nearly impossible to find information on complete strangers. Not that I spend a lot of time looking at complete strangers, just saying, it's easier now.
- You used to actually JOIN groups, not just "like" pages. You can still join groups, don't get me wrong.
- People used to take quizzes CONSTANTLY, and post their results. That wasn't all bad. It was quizzes that told me I should be a teacher, was Italian, and should convert to Quakerism. Mad props to their creators!
- Remember the 25 things about me, or whatever? Here are mine, many of which you already have heard about!!!!! I was just a little too cool to do all 25...
1.) I'm allergic to guinea pigs and parakeets. I found this out because I had a constant runny nose and headache starting at age eight (when I got a parakeet), getting worse around age fourteen (when we got a guinea pig), until I was fifteen (when I finally got an allergy test).
2.) When I was little I would drink SO MUCH milk when I had dinner at friends' houses, because I thought it was polite.
3.)During my Freshmen year of college my suitemate and I would throw water balloons at the dorm across the road. One fateful night we shattered some poor girl's window. And we never got caught neither.
4.) The Sandbos are one of VERY few families visited by the Thanksgiving Squirrel each year.
5.) I met my best friend on the first day of Kindergarten.
6.) When I was a in 9th grade I got moved from the JV soccer team to the Freshmen team, after a 6'6'' all-star transferred to my high school from a Christian school, hoping to get more college scouts to look at her. I was so upset that when I got home I spent over an hour trying to get through to Delilah on Warm 106.9. I just knew that if she heard my story she could pick the perfect song to make me feel better. I think it probably would have been "True Colors" by Phil Collins.
7.) I steal juice from little girls.
8.)The top three songs on my iTunes are Rich Girl: Hall and Oates, Sunshowers: M.I.A, and the Cheers Theme Song.
9.) I graduated from college when I was 20.
10.) I get very nervous from extended-family functions. For many reasons, but the main one being, I'm afraid people will think I'm my sister, and I won't have the social skills to correct them.
11.) I used to beg my mom to let me go rifling through the dump, hoping to find a violin.
12.) There are two sets of twins in my immediate family.
13.) My most embarrassing moment is when I asked my fourth grade teacher what a fallopian tube was, and she described it to me in detail.
14.) I won reserve champion in the Guide Dog Quiz Bowl at the 1999 King County Fair.
15.) Uh, I think that's enough.
********************************************************************************************************************
Anyway, the future is now, ever upward (NY state/Kate Sandbo life motto) etc. etc.
XOXOXOXO
Kate
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