Baby Emmett, left, Vicki, right, 04.06.09
Out of the nine kids in my family, the one just above me is my sister Vicki (or Wicki, Biddies, Wee Wee, Jick, or McJick if you please). Vicki is exceptional at everything she does. (I don't ever get jealous about that or anything). Growing up, she was always the best pianist, soprano, comedian and a true basketball star. Once, our coach in grade school asked me if I could play just "a little more like Vicki." Being that she was the only girl allowed to play on the boys team, that seemed like a pretty hard feat.
Vicki, left, Mindy, right, in the Barley fields at Grandma and Grandpa's ranch (1993?)
When we moved to Spain, Vicki attended our English speaking International school for one year and then gave it the boot, declaring she was switching to a pure Spanish high school (and folks, those schools are brutal).
When I came to college, it was Vicki who registered me for all
my classes and signed me up for the honors program. When I got married and had a baby at the ripe old age of twenty, it was Vicki who watched my baby, enabling me to continue my college education.
She continued to take the world by storm, visiting third-world countries, helping women get micro-loans, delivering babies in Honduras (seriously) and then went on to medical school. Now she is a doctor (a psychiatrist to be exact). She called me from the hospital this week as she was in the delivery room, in labor with her first baby. "I can't stand the way this nurse is talking to me!" she laughed. No doubt she knew more about what to do in the delivery room than her staff. Not trying to brag, but she really is so smart! Don't you ever feel such immense pride over your siblings?
Congratulations Vicki! You're going to be an amazing mother--just as long as you don't treat Baby Emmet the way we treated our Cabbage Patch Kids (a.k.a. CPK abuse).
Mindy, left, Vicki, right -- always hilarious (1984?)
Posts
Yep. I love you girlies! Vicki is wonderful, but so are you, Mindy. You Winkel girls are great!
ReplyDeleteMeggie! It's so great to hear from you now and then. We are coming to Hawaii at the end of Sept., beginning of Oct. Can we hang out?
ReplyDeleteI love reading about your family- I am trying not to be jealous! I only have two sisters and we hardly see each other. And how is it that in every picture, you look like a model! I'm trying not to be jealous of that too! :) Congratulations on your cute little nephew!
ReplyDeleteBecky, thanks for your comment! Vicki lives in SLC but we hardly see each other anymore either. Life is so fast. Don't be jealous. Of course I try not to post pictures where I look terrible, but I think I will do a post soon of all my puberty-stricken photos. That would be a funny one.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Vicky! Could you please send her my love? Thank you very much. (...writing from the country where schools are brutal... :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Irene. I will tell her! I hope my comment about Spanish schools wasn't offensive. You do agree with me on that one, right? And bt "brutal," I mean, "academically brutal."
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes! I would LOVE it! We should get a concert together for you! Yes, Miss Mindy, you are one talented, beautiful momma!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, it wasn't offensive. I forgot that your sister went into a Spanish “instituto”! And yes, it is really hard. I remember my last year of High School I was going nuts because I had to study more than I could, so I bet it was really hard for Vicky. But I guess that we Spaniards are used to it, and when somebody from another country tells us this, we are like “Oh! It is true, school in Spain is BRUTAL!” BTW, I love reading your posts.
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