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| And to think, in just a week we will be celebrating 15 years of “Mawwiage” |
I can’t recall the specific timing exactly, but I think it was shortly after Jenny and Eric became engaged, they came to Minnesota to visit with various friends and family who call the Great White North home. On this particular day I was with them at my cousin Christy and her husband Abe’s house, who live on a beautiful lake in the Twin Cities metro area. It was a warm, sunny day (so it must have been sometime in July), and Abe and Christy offered to take everyone out for a ride on the lake in their pontoon boat. Although Christy, (to a much lesser extent) Abe, and I had all known Jenny since she was a little girl, she is considerably younger than we are (there, that’s your birthday gift), and we hadn’t spent much time around her since she had become “all growed up.” As I recall, Christy was asking various questions about what Jenny had been up to in the years since we had last seen her, etc. Somehow the topic of nicknames came up, and in the spirit of “getting to know you better” Christy asked Jenny if she had any nicknames. Without missing a beat, and in a very royal and sophisticated voice, Jenny proclaimed that her nickname was “Princess Buttercup.” (Ok, I can’t say with 100% certainty that she used the word “princess,” but she definitely claimed to be nicknamed “Buttercup,” and by her manner of speaking she was making a clear reference to “Buttercup” of Princess Bride fame.)
To the best of my knowledge, Jenny had never been called “Buttercup” prior to that day. Apropros of nothing, for reasons that cannot be fully explained, (possibly because of what she had for breakfast that morning) she decided (at least in that moment) that her nickname was “Buttercup.” And so it is. Except in rare circumstances (e.g. legal proceedings, dinner with the bishop, passing through airport security, etc.), to me, she is now and forever shall be “Buttercup.” All because of one silly, random remark.
The irony is that, in so many ways Jenny is very predictable. She is predictably feisty. She is predictably tender-hearted. She is predictably loyal. She is predictably protective of those she loves. She is predictably kind. She is predictably passionate. She is predictably all manner of things. (In fact, I hear there is going to be a blog dedicated solely to enumerating all of the many predictable aspects and attributes that describe Jenny.) But just when you think you can predict what she’ll say or do next in any given situation, watch out! That’s just when she’s most apt to surprise you by being totally… random.
How fun is that?
Happy birthday, Buttercup!
Tom
