i think it was either my sixth or seventh birthday. it was pre-sister #4 (1980), that’s about all i remember.

my mom had planned a mcdonald’s birthday for me and all my little friends (beth, jenny, shari, kerri. . . those are the invitees i can remember). we all pile into mom’s tomato red chevy nova. this was obviously before child safety belt laws and what not. as we were piling in, paula hoban from down the street decided she had to come to the party– even though she wasn’t invited.

i don’t know how we all fit into the car, but we managed. and then kerri started to cry because her twin sister shari, kept dropping her present and giving it away.

it was a giggle stick. i don’t remember much else besides crying when ronald mcdonald came out and losing all the little games they had set up for us.

that’s my first memory of my birthday.