It’s me again 
This picture is in response to my little punky brewster sister, Renee, who commented that my hair still looks the same as my former KD Lang cut. Hello, RUDE! With her little, “I can’t help it” response, my sister gives you a taste of why I have to have a blog all about myself. Because I grew up in a family who likes to take funny jabs at each other. Yeah, feel for me, I need this blog to boost my self-image.
Posting my family up has got me reminiscing. Here is one of the GREATEST roadtrips that I got to share with my family.
When I was 5 or 6, my parents decided to take an 8 hour roadtrip from Carlsbad to Sacramento, CA. We were going to go and visit my Grandma Dorothy (mom’s mom).
Of course we were excited. As kids we had no idea that we didn’t have a car suitable for the trip. In fact, we probably, didn’t have a car suitable to drive around town. But, we had a really GREEN Ford Pinto. You’d have to ask my dad for the year and model.
My dad (AKA MacGyver) jimmy rigged this Pinto, so that we kids could be comfortable (ha) for the trip. He got a piece of plywood and custom fitted it to the back of the Pinto. He hung it with wires across the top of the car to form a nice little bunkbed in the back of the car. Remember, this was before the seatbelt or carseat laws. (what would that be like?)
Well, us kids thought it to be the most wonderful fun idea at first. The two boys were on the bottom, the three girls were on the top, and baby David was in Mom’s lap, probably. (Renee wasn’t born yet). I am sure that it only took less than an hour into the trip for all of us to realize the HUGE discomfort that this set-up was causing us. OUCH!!!!
I don’t remember how we made it through the trip, but I do faintly remember the plywood being ceremoniously removed at some point. My oldest brother, Erick, who was probably about 12 laid long ways in the back and the rest of us younger children were to find a way to make ourselves comfortable around him. I have NO IDEA how in the world my parents survived.
Yes, this story is a family jewel, (trust me, there are many more) and I am sure that anyone in my family will have to correct me on some of the finer details. Be kind guys; I was only six; it was hard for me to grasp the details. The only thing I remember was…..SQUISH!
The Wills Family 2001
This is my mom and dad and brothers and sisters along with their spouses and kids. We took this picture at a favorite beach in Carlsbad, CA, where I grew up. I had a really bad haircut just days previouslly. We called it my KD Lang cut.
Three of us were pregnant in this picture, and there have been a lot more pregnancies and births since this time.
During this same family reunion, we tried out for the family feud. We made it and returned to CA shortly after to tape the show. We were on the show during Louie’s last season. He was very nice to us. We beat the other family (I am not too sure they were really a family, because I caught a glimpse of one of the contestant’s groping his supposed cousin.)
Well, my brothers lost the money in the final round. Their answers were entertaining. One answered that he would pack a “lei” to take on his trip to Hawaii. It took a few weeks to recover from the loss. As the real family feud began before the taping when we all discussed at length who would get the money if we did win. It was somewhat of a relief when we didn’t win because then we could all go back to wishing we had more money and we didn’t have to worry who in the family deserved or needed the money more than the others. After the show, we still feuded. My very pregnant sister and I were very moody the whole 12 hr drive home and we faught with the guys, telling them that they should have let one of us sisters have a go at the final round.
All and all, we did have a great time! It is trips like this that make memories. I have to say that feuding can make a family stronger, as long as you are willing to laugh with or AT each other. This is something that everyone in my family can do well, even the in-laws. We all love to laugh! And, we always love each other and we usually make up after the feuds.
alice w. gold 