I’m the only child of two only children. So, family reunions were breakfast every morning.
However, although I was technically alone, I believe I’ve already made clear the relationship I had with my sisters-not-by-blood, Kim, Erin and Michaela.
Yet, I’ve neglected, thus far, to mention my brother-not-by-blood, Mark.
Mark and I were Frick and Frack. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. Salt and Pepper. Peas and Carrots. We were kinda like Jenny and Forrest, however, I’d like to think we were both more Jenny than Forrest.
Here’s Mark on the bus in eighth grade.
Look at those teeth. I’ve always been jealous of those perfect teeth.
That pose is inherently Mark. He’s the most full of life person that I know. His enthusiasm for life is contagious and being around Mark always makes me happy.
Mark and I went to the eighth grade dance together.
Weren’t my friend, Sari, and I lucky to go with the Miami Vice guys?
However, we went to high school and Mark moved to Texas and left me. It was a very sad time for me.
Until, that is, I realized that now I had an excuse to fly to Texas every Spring Break!
And so I did.
The first year, Michaela and I went. The second year, Erin, Michaela and I went. The third year, Kim and I went.
I don’t have a lot of photos of these trips, but what I do have are videos. Michaela is working on transferring them to dvd as we speak, and when she does, you can be sure I’ll try to figure out a way to get it on the blog. Oh, and trust me, these tapes are more embarrassing to me than they are to anyone else on them.
During our high school years, recording studios were also the new, big thing. So, we have many, many songs that we all recorded together. I’m not so sure I’ll be sharing those, although Michaela has already transferred those to CD for us.
Anyway, remember how I said Mark’s enthusiasm for life was contagious?
Let me share a little bit of my wedding reception with you. Disclaimer beforehand…lest you think that this was the result of drinking at the wedding, it wasn’t. This is what happens to us when we are with Mark. It happened when we were eight and if we could ever all get together again, it would happen again now that we are in our late 30’s…um, I mean late 20’s.
Here are Michaela and Kim with Mark.
Here is just Kim and Mark, trying to get every last bit of fun out of those bouquets.
As always, Mark rubbed off and Michaela got in on the action. Princess Leia, eat your heart out!
Finally, she almost crossed the line that would have resulted in my mother kicking her butt all over that reception hall.
Mark…get your butt up here to NJ!
Sounds like a great brother and a great friend. Hopefully he will read this and head right on up to visit. 🙂
Comment by Debbie — September 21, 2009 @ 9:45 am |
OK – If this post is about Mark, why are there so many embarrassing photos of me 🙂
Comment by michaelapotter — September 21, 2009 @ 1:29 pm |
I guess you are just extra vulnerable to Mark’s joie de vivre! 🙂
Comment by abozza — September 21, 2009 @ 2:14 pm |
Wow.
As usual, Amy, your huge heart leaves me awestruck. Reading this blog entry instantly transported me back to our days of Wednesday church school and Frelinghuysen Junior High, and all of the ridiculous things we did as we fumbled through our adolescence as part of that incredible family of friends.
What I wanted to add with this response – something I believe to be of paramount importance to anyone reading your blogs and learning about the life of Amy Lawrence Bozza – is my take on what a friendship with you really means.
Being uprooted in my freshman year of high school and moved to another part of the country was hard on me. I struggled with trying to find my place in that new world; amidst the typical teenage struggle of simply trying to figure out the person I was going to be. I was a lousy friend to you then, Amy. I missed birthdays, owed you phone calls, and was too caught up in my own struggles to be the brother you deserved.
Still, you never gave up on me. The calls, the letters, and the visits never waned. I was honored when – years later – you invited me to attend your wedding, but words cannot describe how I felt when I heard OUR recording studio rendition of “Always” emanating from the DJ’s sound-system, and looked up from my piece of wedding cake to see you, beautiful and smiling on a cleared dance-floor, motioning for me to join you in a dance. We sounded ridiculous, but that night it was one of the sweetest things I’d ever heard. I was at YOUR wedding, but you were giving ME the gift. In the midst of everything else that you had to handle on your big day, you took a moment from that incredibly happy time in our history, and shared it with everybody closest to you. That was one of the biggest honors I’ve ever experienced.
This blog entry is another one.
I am not as good as I should be at showing it, Amy, but I love you, and I love our friendship. Thank you for being the wonderful, amazing person who you are … and in the midst of work and kids and marriage and life, still giving the gift of yourself to the rest of us.
Now, have you got a bedroom for me when I come to visit?
With love,
Mark
Comment by Mark — September 22, 2009 @ 6:27 pm |