WC #13: Happy Birthday! Three More SPECIAL People!!!

Well, yesterday I mentioned how I seem to have so many birthdays and anniversaries to remember, that I don't know when I'll actually get back to answering the questions in my book, but I just don't know how to stop when I have so many fabulous people in my life!  Today just happens to be one of those EXTRA special days, when I have not one, not two, but three of those people to remember!

I've decided that since I have some special musical memories of each of these people, I'm going to share a story about the musical memory I have of each of them and a video to match!

The first is my cousin Beth. Out of respect, I'll leave out her birth year! You might remember a story about her.  We decided to take a six-mile hike at the ripe old ages of four and five! Here we have Beth a few years after said adventure:

 Aaand... This is Beth with her new husband last year, on their honeymoon in Hawaii!

My musical memory of Beth has to include a top group from the late 60's and the beginning of music video!  Beth and I faithfully watched the Monkees each Monday night and then talked on the phone about our favorite parts of the show and how great they were.  Beth also went with me to The Monkees concert in July, 1967.  Good times and fun memories. Happy Birthday, Cousin!

The second person to enter my life on June 17, 1967 was my oldest nephew, Daniel Carl Zielke.  

He was born to my brother Al and his first wife, Marcia.  I know I've mentioned before that Dan was my real life baby doll and the fact that he lived right downstairs gave me easy access to him!  I loved having a nephew and had so much fun with him, amid moments of frustration.... 

Dan with his boys
2005

My absolute favorite memory of Dan has to be the fact that every day when he'd hear me get home from school, he'd run up the stairs, slam the door, run and jump on the couch and shout "Doo Doo Doo, Dewoe!  Doo Doo Doo!" (Dewoe was his pronunciation of "Carol" and of course he was asking me to play Credence Clearwater Revival's song "Lookin' Out My Back Door" on the stereo while he rocked so hard, sometimes we feared that he was going to break the window behind the couch!!!  Dan--- This one's for you!  Happy Birthday!

And finally, although I didn't meet her until 1974, my "little sister," Amy Louise Sloan MacLee was born seven years my junior.  

She was truly the little sister I never had and, boy, do we ever have stories!  But most of them will have to wait.  Amy was there for me when I was divorcing her brother.  She was there to help with our house full of teenagers.  And she has always been the one to force me out of my comfort zone to have a little bit of fun that I NEVER would have done without her.  I was so excited two years ago when we ended up being able to take an Alaskan cruise together!

Even there, there were musical memories from the piano bar and Amy shakin' her booty with our waiter the final night!

I have too many musical memories of her!  There was dancing the polka in the basement of her parents' home,  Herman's Hermits ("I'm Henry VIII, I Am), Neil Diamond ("Coming to America") and Barry Manilow ("I Write the Songs" and so many more), but the stand out musical memory had to be taking Disco Lessons at the YMCA!!!  Happy Birthday, Amy Lou!  You should be dancin'!!! Yeah!