Cousin Rochelle.

Don't even think for a minute that the above photo is me.

If you thought for a second that, maybe? Could it be?

Curse you.

I haven't been gone that long.

I'm sure you've been wondering where I've been, right?

I've been fighting a cold for a few days and it slowed me down, for just a bit.

I'm back in the game now, and have been trying to play catch up ever since.

While Shawn and Cody were in Detroit for a weekend of hockey,

I had a guest.

My cousin, Rochelle.

She was traveling to Scottsdale for a work related conference

and made her way to our house.

Throughout our childhood, we spent many hours together,

riding horses,

playing with Barbies,

swimming.

You name it, we did it together.

She now lives in the D.C. area

with her husband and 2 year old daughter.

They are awaiting the arrival of a boy in January.

I had a great time listening to her stories about her husband and daughter

and their life in the city.

It's all much different from my life in the suburbs.

One subject that came up was how I skipped kindergarten

because I wanted to go to school with Rochelle.

You see, I'm a couple months younger than her and missed the school's cut off date.

My mom took matters into her own hands

and erased my birth month from my birth certificate.

She replaced October with August and I was admitted.

I went directly to first grade with Rochelle.

(I still have the original birth certificate with worn paper in the birth month section. )

Mother's will do anything for their children.

(Just to get them out of the house.)

When I mentioned this to Rochelle,

she didn't remember the story.

What?

I skipped a major event in my life for you

and you don't remember?

I just attributed her poor memory to her current physical state

and vowed to remind her of the sacrifices that I made

to be in her presence when we were five.

Remember the book,

"All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum?

It stated such things as:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Put things back where you found them.

Share everything?

Are you kidding me?

Play fair?

I don't think so.

Milk?

No way.

Put things back where you found them?

That's it!

(Light bulb moment.)

Since I didn't go to kindergarten,

I missed the major rules in life.

Honey, I'm cured!

Cancel the therapist!

I have to thank Rochelle because without her visit I wouldn't have experienced this breakthrough.

Not that I'm exactly walking around saying, "what's wrong with me?"

I say, "what's wrong with those people?"

I did enjoy growing up with her

and I have wonderful memories.

A vivid memory,

is of the time I offered to pay her a quarter

if she'd let me paint her lips with nail polish

and she obliged!

I probably still owe her the quarter and

I might have tried to hide the nail polish remover too!

I was howling with laughter.

Play fair?

What's that?

If you don't see me share,

play fair,

or forget to clean up my own mess,

please give me a free pass.

Remember,

I didn't go to kindergarten

and I owe it all to my Cousin "R"

and my slick mom.

Talk to them.