My Husky Voiced Girl

If you can believe it, this is the time of the year when I have A LOT of birthdays! Yup, and today I get to wish my gorgeous Brinna Happy Birthday. She is my second daughter and I refuse to say how old that she is---lets just say that it is over 25.... I have always told my kids that they would catch up to me and then pass me by in age, and she is coming really close!

Brinna was born in Denver, Colorado, after only eight hours of labor. (Trust me, this was my shortest labor and felt like a breeze!) She was such a beautiful baby with black, curly hair---so tiny and petite. She was a great baby, seemed to be pretty easy going until 18 months old hit.

Then, she changed.....over night.

She was very angry for some reason and always wanted something that I couldn't give her. I was modeling a lot after she was born and sometimes I think that I wasn't around enough for her. I don't know. She had about four or five tantrums a day, on average and I,...I was just flummoxed by it all.

I was also very young and not at all patient.

Oh, yes, I tried everything---from time outs---for her, first----she wouldn't stay anywhere---then finally time outs for me. It was a hard time for us both.

I am going to admit right here in front of everyone that I actually threatened her once----to try and stop the screaming----that I was going to put her head in the toilet!

Ok, so I didn't do it. Don't call social services. Its too late for that anyway.

Actually, Brinna looked a lot like me and I think that that is what saved her....with her dark hair and those amazing eyes looking up at me. So, no matter how much she put me through, I still loved to grab her up and hug her and make her laugh---and to hold her close by the time that she had calmed down----to apologize for me losing my patience. And I loved to sing to the girls at night before they went to sleep. Those were the good times....

So, that is how she acquired her husky voice. It was the cutest thing ever---this little girl with the deep voice.

Those tantrums continued for most of her growing years. Then, one night, at the age of 14, after an especially bad one, we had a long talk---way into the night. She was crying, I was crying.
I apologized to her for not understanding her, for not knowing how to handle her when she was angry---for not making her life easier.... We hugged and hugged and held each other, then as I went to bed that night, I knew that something had changed.

That was the last time she ever had a tantrum.

After that Brinna was a delight! She has always been one talented girl. She started singing at an early age----singing with the family as well as her sister, Hailey. She has always been very gifted in art, doing amazing sketches from the time she was small, and winning an award in high school from the state of California for her costume design. She loves to read----both she and I have that in common----and she is an amazing writer---writing stories, her own books and even a play. (but I'm not sure that she finished that one) I still hope some day that she will continue this pursuit, as she is so talented at it.

She has grown up a lot since then. She actually got married very young, but it didn't work out, (long story there...) so she started singing in a band with me, South Station. This was one of my favorite times of our lives together. I love singing with my children and I cherished the times that I got to sing with Brinna. We also got to travel together and spent many a night sharing a hotel room----each in our own queen beds----three o-clock in the morning----in total darkness----just talking and talking. I loved those times. I looked forward to those times.

I miss those times.

She now lives in Western Mass. and sings in another band, "Eight to the Bar", (you can check out the website here)---a swing band. She loves to sing the oldies, and her voice is amazing as she does those tight harmonies. And of course, she is gorgeous, so all eyes are always on her.

We get to hang together now once in a while, and I treasure that---when we meet for a movie or for lunch. We have a lot in common, as we both love fashion, clothing, SHOES, decorating, music, performing, and well, just girl talk...



....and the best part is that she is one of the most laid-back gals now, nary a tantrum in sight.


**I need to add a disclaimer to her pictures, as I tried to get the scanner to work and it wouldn't---so annoying! So, I was only able to get this one pic of her when she was young (she modeled a lot and did a national commercial for Nabisco that played during the Rose Bowl---such a cutie!)---but not any more of her growing up years. I will keep trying, so check back for those.**

Here she is at age two, in one of her first catalog shoots---wasn't she so adorable?

All grown up---Christmas time 2005

Then, with her equally talented sister, Maryn---don't they look like movie stars?

Well---there's me making a face and Brinna looking quite amazing....

I told you that her eyes were beautiful---and so green.

A recent shot of her at a band gig---such a great smile.

Happy Birthday, my beautiful girl.