I am lousy with birthdays. I wish I always remembered ahead of time to send a card, to plan time to call. I missed my little sister's milestone birthday, a biggie. Wish I could have been there for her birthday dinner, instead on the other side of the continent. But in honor of her 30 years, all of which I remember and am grateful for, here are:
30 things about Cori
1. She has a dorky laugh and is completely un-self-concious of it, as it should be.
2. She loves music so much that her chosen occupation is using it to change lives.
3. She is so driven and focused, when she wants to do something, she does it. I admire that.
4. She has a big heart.
5. She plays like 12 instruments, though clarinet was her first.
6.When she was in high school, she used to make herself virgin pina coladas in the blender on almost a daily basis, I think.
7. She looked really cute in a band uniform, which is not the case for everyone.
8. She does not like to argue. Which is almost a past-time for my older sister and I. So she has put up with a lot.
9. I am so glad she took guitar lessons, so that now we have Phil in our family!
10. Phil doesn't seem to like to argue either, which makes for a marriage totally foreign to my husband and me.
11. I think my parents still have some VHS tapes of Cori recording herself belting out some Mariah Carey tunes.
12. She also loved to rock out to C&C Music Factory.
13. She blew out her knee dancing to New Kids in the Block and had knee surgery
14. She used to hide behind the couch when she was scared. Like if there was loud thunder, or the smoke alarm went off (not real safe) or when she had to go put on her pajamas, but no one else was upstairs, so she would change behind the couch.
15. Once she learned more about fire safety, she decided to stage a fire drill. One evening when everyone else was in the kitchen, she ran down from upstairs screaming, "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" and ran out the front door. We all jumped up and ran to the front door, but my Dad leap up the stairs in a single bound, it seemed like. When Cori saw him do that, I think she began to regret not warning us that it was a drill.
16. On one of my Dad's birthdays, when Cori was still pretty little, we all gave him cards and gifts after dinner, and he of course opened and read them all. When he got to Cori's, it said something like, "Wishing you sympathy in your time of loss. Love, Cori Pelletier." We all laughed until we cried. Until we noticed Cori crawled into the corner and was crying of embarrasment. She was too little to go buy a card and had found one in a desk somewhere. Poor Cori! We felt so bad. I still feel bad! I know Dad loved that card.
17. Cori played softball for several years, and Dad was the team coach. The Firebirds, was it? Cori played catcher, and looked AWESOME in her catchers gear. I mean, truly impressive.
18. When I was in 2nd grade, we had school pictures and parents could bring younger preschool siblings in for pictures, so Mom brought Cori in, too. When the pictures came back, they were given to me along with my pictures. I remember getting them and seeing how adorable 2-year-old Cori looked in her plaid jumper, I started to tear up. ( I got homesick at school a lot that year.)
19. Around that time, I remember Cori asking Mom, "Are you going to get me boy stuff like He-Man and Skeletor for my birthday?" My mom said of course not. Cori said, "But I LIKE boy stuff!"
20. She was the most adorable blondie cherub as a toddler.
21. I will always remember the Christmas Cori got a waterbed as a surprise, and threw herself on it and rolled back and forth saying, "My very own waterbed!" Ahhhhh, the 80's.
22. She was way in to Jem (who is truly outrageous, truly truly truly outrageous . . . ) and the Misfits.
23. When Nicki and I wanted to torment her when she was really little, we called her Nellie Olson. Or worse, Baby Brat.
24. I wish I had spent more time with her when I was a teenager.
25. Cori has the best nose.
26. She wears the same shoe size as me, but I moved out before her feet grew to my size, so we never got to share our shoes!
27. Cori, if you please, please come visit me in California I promise to share my shoes with you!
28. Cori loves moonsand.
29. I am so glad she is my sister and I wish we lived close enough to see each other every week.
30. Cori makes our family sunnier. Always has. Ialways feel yellow when I think of her. Cori is sunshine.
Happy Birthday Cori!
With my sympathies, Love, Kristi Pelletier
