Uncle Doug was my favorite Uncle. He is only 12 years older than I am and I think I felt close to him because he was so young. I remember taking a road trip with him about the time I was in Kindergarten. I don't know where we went or how long we were gone. But I think I remember a VW bug driving through the night.
Aunt Denise was my favorite Aunt. I am not quite sure why, but I always think of Aunt Denise when I see Carol Burnett. Aunt Denise had a big house (relative to how small I was at the time, of course) on the hill in Centerville. They put in a swimming pool and hot tub. When I was 11, my mom was away for the summer, and we spent the weekend (maybe longer, I don't remember) with Aunt Denise's family. One morning in particular we got up with the sun and jumped into the pool right away...Aunt Denise got us out for breakfast (which we ate poolside) and then got right back into the water. At lunch we also ate at the poolside. And dinner, too. As it was getting dark (and a bit chilly, we thought), we would jump into the pool and then get into the hot tub and then jump back into the "cold" pool. We must have done it for about an hour. I was supposed to babysit (with her neighbor who was my age) the little kids. I vaguely remember the adults leaving. But my stronger memory is being worried that my aunt was trying to give me a bath. I was hot and cold all at the same time and I just wanted my mom to take care of me. Turns out I had heat stroke...my shoulders had 2nd degree burns, and the blisters started forming right away. For about a week it was very painful to wear shirts. I slathered myself in aloe vera gel. The blisters were quite large and I remember some of them had water inside of them; I could wiggle my shoulders and hear the water sloshing inside of them.
I also have very strong memories of Uncle Alan and Aunt Jonna from when I was 4 or 5. We all lived in Provo. I wrote their phone number inside of our "Sing With Me" hymn book and I liked to call them. I remember the house they lived in had big, wide steps. There was a fireplace inside the living room, and I think the stairs going upstairs were just inside the front door. The kitchen was at the back of the house. There was a huge tree in their front yard. I believe the house was a "craftsman" style (very popular in Provo). Aunt Jonna has always been happy and kind. Uncle Alan was always funny, and I always thought he reminded me of Steve Martin.
When I was 4-1/2 Santa Claus came to our trailer home on Christmas Eve. I don't so much remember the visit. But after he walked out of the front door I remember going to the window and watching him drive away in Uncle Alan's old blue pick up truck. I asked WHY he was driving Uncle Alan's truck and my dad said, "Oh there are a lot of trucks that look like Uncle Alan's." And I answered, "Not a lot of them have brooms sticking up on them!" Uncle Alan always had a broom that stood up behind the driver...there was a hole (by design or flaw I don't know) in the body of the truck bed that held it in place. It was a very curious evening for me, for sure...
This does not mean that I don't love my other Aunts and Uncles! These are just memories from a child's mind...
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