Meet the Family

So I think if I want anyone to continue reading this blog, I should tell you a little about my brothers and sisters. Here is a list of our names in birth order and a few words I think describes each of us.

Barbara Ann - elementary school teacher, in the dictionary to describe the word "efficient" Barb or Barbie to friends and family. 

Cheryl Marie - quiet, calming, mother of 5 (4 boys and 1 girl). Was dubbed a tomboy growing up because she could climb a tree and played softball. We call her Cherie. 

Patricia Lynn (Me!) - outgoing, talkative, organizer. Mother of two awesome boys. Family calls me Patty. 

Thomas Michael - first born son, deep thinker, jokester, great speaker. Dad to two talented daughters. He was Tommy until high school, now we mostly call him Tom. Liked to be called Tom-Bow when he was little. 

Richard Joseph - out-of-the-box thinker, creative, funny. Born on Dad's 33rd birthday. He's been known as Ricky, Rick-O-Shea (to my Mom) and Floyd (during high school), but we usually call him Rick. 

Marjorie Beth - artistic, independent, open-minded. She got her name from a book Mom was reading, Marjorie Morningstar. Two wonderful girls call her Mom. We always call her Margie. 

Gregory John - rugged, disciplined, traditional. Dad to one sweet little girl (who's getting big too quickly). His nickname is Greg. I love his name, although I thought his name should be Gregory Jonathan - I used to call him that. 

Susan Lee - caring, dependable, patient, friend-in-need. Mom to one smart, handsome son. Called Sue or Susie all her life, and we also called her Susie Q and Surf City Sue when she was an infant.

Kathleen Mary - fun, hard working, adventurous. She was almost named Mary since my grandmother was sad there are six girls and none named for her. But we compromised and Mary became her middle name. She's Kitty to us. I used to call her "Little Kittle".

Introduction

My name is Pat and this blog is an attempt to share some of the crazy events that led to my present life. Contrary to what my kids and grandchildren believe, I started out as a child. I came into the world the third child and third daughter of a family that eventually grew to six girls and three boys, keeping my parents laughing, crying, happy, mad or busy in general for the rest of their lives.

I came upon the name for this blog shortly after my Dad passed away. When my family was together after the memorial, we were talking about "dad-isms" and the unique phrases my Dad used frequently. Our family went out to dinner in nice restaurants quite often, even when most of us were very small. When we arrived at the door of a restaurant, my father would request a table for "ten plus a highchair." This went on for several years. That phrase always made me feel happy and proud of our family. So it became the title for this blog.

So how does a family with nine children keep things normal? First off, my Mom always said she had nine "only children". And she was right - we are all completely different in our temperament, likes and dislikes, professions and politics. As adults, we are somewhat connected by our differences, and there's usually someone to see your point of view or help with a difficult job. But as kids - well, put it this way - I don't know how my parents (Mom in particular) did it.

Today we are scattered through several states, but Mom & Dad were somehow able to instill a strong sense of Family in all of us. Although some of us may not see each other or gab on the phone regularly, when we connect, it's like we never separated.  We still know how to make each other laugh, as well as push each other's buttons.  The people who became our spouses are saints, none more than my own wonderful husband of 37 years.

So in the days to come, I will relay what I know about living in a large family, the funny things we did, the questions I hope someday to find answers to, and how I became the outgoing, outspoken, get it done, karaoke singing person I am today.