Joyeux Anniversaire Madamoiselle Bettina!

Betsy Bettina turns 28 (today! I think? Or is it 27? 29? I think it's 28 but that's okay because she doesn't always rememeber how old I am either)

Youngest of the quartet of Von Trapp family singer wannabes is a year older, officially, as of today. Julie wrote a nice post recalling some funny and sweet things about Betsy that I had just about forgotten about.

Happy Birthday Beastie!

Here is my top ten list of things that are great about Betsy:

10. She can sing an opera in falsetto, while leaping about, and she can do it well.

9. She looks great in ass-pants (yes, I do hate her for this)

8. She can speak French fluently and was the interpreter for the Griswold, I mean our family’s, European vacation. She could interpret our requests for Vin Rooj! To the server in French while pleading with her eyes for forgiveness for the utterly crass American cluelessness of her family donned in athletic shoes and track outfits. For this, she used the universal language of an expression that read “Please take pity on me. I did not choose these people, being the youngest, they certainly chose me.” She may have wanted to heave herself off of the Eiffel tower, and I am certain she did, but she continued interpreting for her bumbling family nonetheless.

7. At my friend Janna’s wedding when the song “Dancing with myself” by Bill Idol came on, Betsy ran out alone to the dance floor to dance with herself and I nearly died laughing. Betsy will just do things like that.

6. She loves good chocolate, good food and good wine. And she likes to share those things with others. What’s not to love about that?

5. Betsy sewed versions of cheesy American Flag Aprons for her friends in France. Betsy gets Irony.

4. She if one of the funniest people I know. I just love hanging out with Betsy. She can make an afternoon of baking cookies the highlight of your entire month.

3. Betsy can HANG. She can watch a marathon of the real world, Little House on the Prairie (she possesses and encyclopedic knowledge of the series), Survivor, E! True Hollywood Stories, or a Lifetime Made for TV movie. She can make the mundane marvelously entertaining.

2. She cried the first time she heard Patty Griffin’s “Moses”. She is a tender hearted soul with a tough exterior.

And the number one best thing about Betsy……….Drumroll…….

1. Betsy is the only person I have ever gotten into a face spitting contest with. When we were young, we sat for 45 minutes spitting on each others faces. We both found this game extremely entertaining. There is a kinship that one has that goes beyond mere bloodlines when one gleefully expectorates onto their sister’s face, and then their sparring sister reciprocates, and both parties enjoy it so much you continue on with the game for a weirdly long amount of time. Our faces were covered in phlegm, and we thought it was just dandy. Gross as all get-out, yes. But fun nonetheless.