My Sisters

My younger sister Katie will be returning to Grand Junction on Monday, so for those of you who do not know my siblings, I figured I would write a short bio for each of them. For those of you who know the girls, this is your opportunity to find out what each of them is up to.

Kelly Asuka - She's my older sister by a year and three months. She was born on December 27th in Japan. My father was stationed there at the time. I'm probably closer to Sissy Kelly than the rest of my sibs, due to the fact that we are close in age and went to school together. As a child, we moved around so much that Kelly was pretty much my only friend until I was in Junior High School. She currently resides in Grand Junction and is about to give birth to a little girl (Zoey). I think her due date is in August or September. Kelly was re-married a little over a year ago to Dirk Clingman. They met while working in one of the local theatres. Sissy Kelly is the emotional one of the bunch.

Tammie Mariko - Tammie's the middle sister. Tammie is the funniest person I know. Although I am five-and-a-half years older than Tammie, I get along better with her than the rest of the sibs. Our personalities are pretty compatible (I'm an Aries, Tammie's a Scorpio). Tammie was born in Montrose, Colorado in 1978 while Dad was either at OCS or finishing college in Utah. I can't remember. She is married to Cody Hodges. What a funny pair they are. Tammie stands like 4'3" and Cody stands like 7'2". Other than height difference, Tammie and Cody are the most compatible couples I've ever met. They really do mesh well. Who would imagine that? Tammie was such a reckless kid in high school that we were just happy that she graduated. She's turned into quite the successful person. I couldn't tell you too much about her career, but when I say "successful" I mean her life seems to be in order. She's happy with the person she's become and where she's going. I think of the four kids, she's the one that wakes up in the morning and thinks, "what a wonderful day to be alive!" Other than myself, I think Tammie is pleased with every aspect of her life. Tammie is the logical one of the bunch. She's also the neat-freak.

Katie - First of all, let me start off by saying that I have no idea what Katie's middle name is. Isn't that sad? Katie is the youngest of the siblings. I didn't grow up with Katie and was moved out of the house by the time Katie was starting to develop as a person. It's my fault for never really getting to know Katie. Tammie and Kelly both know Katie much better than I. Even when Katie had moved back in with Dad, I didn't go too far out of my way to get to know Katie.

Katie's life has been quite the roller coaster for the last ten years. Her mother and my father had divorced while living in Oregon. Like most children of divorced families, Katie was pulled in every direction. She still is. Katie had moved in with my father after he had moved to Colorado. Katie's mother had a few problems that led to Katie having to move in with Dad (that's a whole other story for another date). Katie's stay in Colorado would last three years (?). In that time, Katie would have a difficult time adjusting to life in general. I think we all go through this stage in life. I did. I can remember being a young adult, thinking What do I want to do with My Life? Where am I going? Katie is now a young adult and I think she lays in bed thinking the same. I feel bad for Katie. She's been in a downward spiral for years and can't seem to find her way back to the top. I've been there and know how she's feeling. She will either choose to snap out of it and move on to life or she'll decide to stay where she is. It's her choice. I chose to have a successful life. She can, too.

As for myself...other than the fact that I spend most of my time at work, I'm pretty pleased with how my life has turned out. I feel that I've been pretty successful in life. And, that has nothing to do with my career. My career is my career. 75% of the time I wake up in the morning thinking to myself, What a Wonderful Day to be Alive! That's a greater percentage than most people...I think. Sure there's a few things I would have done differently as I was growing up...But, I have no regrets in my life. I have a family I love, the love of my family, a roof over their heads, and food in their bellies. What else could you ask for?