the one and only aunt dorothy….

“What do you think about when you hear the number 96? Most likely, you are not thinking about your age. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot of about life – where I am, where I’m going, where I’ll be in 10 years (I hate that question),
what is God’s intentions for me, how can I achieve maximum success, where should I be going with my career… All very normal questions, especially for someone
at the age of 26. Then I find myself celebrating a 96th birthday with my Aunt. She so proudly said to the waiter, “I’m 96 today and this is my family.” In that moment, I realized everything will happen in its own time. I will eventually
find a job that I love, I will find my soul mate, I will buy a house, I will have children, I will travel to South Africa… Just enjoy today and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and take risks for what you believe in and continue
to grow as the individual you are and the person you want to be.”

This was at my Cousin Katie’s wedding in June of this year. Aunt Dorothy had the best time at the wedding and loved seeing Katie and Kelly in their dresses and the boys in their tuxes. She was so delighted to be able to share in Katie and John’s special day.

Although I think she did have a favorite out of all of us… I think his name is Mark … Kelly, am I right?

Aunt Dorothy was always so proud of all of us and all of our accomplishments. She loved each of us as if we were her own. She knew every single thing we were all “up to” therefore if you needed to know anything about anyone in the family… she was the person to call. Her mind at 97 was better than mine on a good day!
She was the most loyal Cardinals fan and listened to every game religiously on the radio. She attended her first game at Busch Stadium back in 2000 with all of us in tow – she absolutely loved it! And, in 2007, Opening Day landed on her birthday and well let’s just say… no other gifts mattered!!
She was the most “prime and proper” lady I knew. She got up every morning and put on her skirt, shirt, jacket, ascot and earrings (ear fobs as she would call them) and was ready for the whatever the day brought. She loved to visit and would offer you a Coke or a Sprite as soon as you walked in. We shared many laughs and I will cherish the stories she would tell me about from when she was young. I especially loved the stories about my dad’s dad, Forrest. She loved us all and she was loved by so many… we will continue to love her and remember her always as we have grown to know this lovely lovely lady to be our one and only Aunt Dorothy.