Fortune Cookies, String Cheese, and Then Came Devon Nicole

Her birth was foretold through a fortune cookie, leaving us all excited for her February arrival. With Benihana’s deliciousness still settling in our stomachs, Ryan, April, and I were left contemplating what this would mean for our lives. You would have to ask Ry and April what they were thinking, but for me there was only excitement.

A little sibling would mean I was no longer the baby of the family. It would mean I would have someone to order around. I mean direct. I mean style. I mean love. Actually, I meant all of those things.

On the day of her birth, a voice came over the loudspeaker in my 2nd grade classroom. I was being summoned to the office, my dad was there. I remember the sheer excitement and anticipation of getting out of school early. And that I was going to be a big sister. That was also very exciting.

The drive from La Costa to San Diego was long and relatively forgettable. I am sure I slept at some point being that a car and I were involved. A stellar father, my dad brought snacks for the car ride- string cheese and apples.

While I have no recollection of actually holding her that day, I do remember the string cheese. I think she probably smelled string cheese on me and that was the start of her love affair with the stuff. To this day the girl is a very strong advocate for cheese in the string variety.

You may call her Dev-Dev, I like Divertido or Devonshire, or just plain Dev if I’m in a rush. She is my little sister, my friend, and my hip-hop music guru, just to name a few of her current roles. And she is soon to be with me here in Zambia! Her plane is taking off from Denver on Tuesday and we will be together in Lusaka by Thursday, British Airways and God willing.

I am sure we will have lots of fun stories to share and none of them having to do with string cheese. Perhaps you can eat some for her while she is away; I hope she can last the 3 weeks without that dairy goodness.