This Saturday, more than 16,000 kilometers away my two big sisters are co-celebrating some pretty seriously special events.
Number One recently took out the trifecta of all things important in life: a man, a house and a decent sized rock. And Number Two has successfully survived another year on this planet and will be turning the big two seven.
As much as I love travelling around the world, nothing will ever quite beat getting together with the family and their respective better-halves for an afternoon of drink, meat, salad, more drink and dessert.
So as I can not pay tribute in person, I thought I would pay tribute the only way I know how….to blog about it. I would also like to ask what genius came up with the word ‘blog’. Why couldn’t you have named it something a little more intelligent sounding such as webiture or weblical?
The sisters have always played the leading role(s) in my life. There are four of us in total, all born around a year apart. Lucky dad.
We were brought up on a sheep and cattle farm around five hours west of Sydney and spent our days trying to make our parents proud that we could both work hard in the sheds as well as in the kitchen. Again, lucky dad.
The Coffey clan
Number One and Two have always been the leaders of the pack. They bravely took on the role of breaking in my parents to sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, so by the time Number Four and I came along we were considered to be children of God.
Well, that was until Number Four was granted emancipation from God after being picked up in the local park by one of the church mums for being ‘disorderly’ and other sorts.
Over the years we may have grown geographically apart, but we in fact have never been closer. Between the four of us, we have now acquired enough life experience to be able to fix any problem that comes our way. Be it boys, work, babies, cooking, travel, fixing, fighting and cooking again.
The edition of some pretty serious man-friends has also helped balance the estrogen levels in the family unit. These guys deserve a medal for not only being able to put up with a Coffey girl, but the inappropriate sense of family humor that comes along with it. Nothing says ‘welcome’ like being nicknamed the Grinder, Plunger or even Liquor by the father in-law.
One of the really cool things about being so close in age is that we all grow-up at the same time and take on similar challenges together. Instead of talking about studies, parties and boys we not talk about houses, parties and boys.
Number One. Congratulations on the great man, house and rock. I wish I could be there to help you renovate with the one hand and drink wine with the other.
Number Two. I hope you have a great birthday and get very spoilt by all. Try and usurp some of Number One’s attention if you can. And give a very big kiss and cuddle to Number 2.1 for me.
Xxoo
3
Picture of innocence