You do that!

[dolorosa_12]

Today is my sister Mimi's 19th birthday, and since she's one of my favourite people in the whole world, I thought I'd write a 19-years-of-Mimi post.

How to begin? Once upon a time? It was the best of times, it was the worst of times? I write this sitting in the kitchen sink?

In November, 1988, a three-year-old girl and her mother were preparing chocolate crackles, fairy bread, cupcakes and jelly to take to a big family birthday party that was meant to take place the next day. But someone had other plans. At 6am the next morning, the mother was in labour, and the family birthday party would have to be put on hold...for three hours.

Yes, this was one baby that wanted to be born. I've always thought that we come into this world in the manner we behave in it. Thus, I took 20 hours to be born, and was strangling myself as I came out - I wanted to stay in that womb a bit longer, and Mimi rushed out to get to a party. At 9.01am, the second daughter of Keri Phillips and Jim Middleton was born. (oh god, this third-person is killing me! I think I shall switch to first-person).

My dad took me into the hospital, and the first thing I did when I got there was say, 'Where's Miriam?' That is how my sister got her name. The family birthday party was held in the hospital.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't like Mimi much when she was born. Part of the problem was that I had expected her to emerge from the womb armed with toys because everyone had said 'You're getting a new brother or sister TO PLAY WITH'. But also, I was one of those children who disliked other kids and preferred being at the centre of an adoring circle of adults. Sharing the spotlight was NOT fun! I'm ashamed to say that I spent a lot of Mimi's first year in the world pushing her over, pulling her hair, and generally feeling replaced.

When she was two, and I was six, however, all this changed. I decided she was my best friend, and we've never looked back since. We lived in our own little world, playing games based on worlds we'd created in our imagination, that would last for YEARS. We spied on our neighbours, danced to The Little Mermaid, rode around the block on our bikes and went everywhere with a large entourage of dolls. If I had to sum up those years, I'd say that 50 percent of our time was spent up trees.

Despite growing into two very different people, I'd say that our teenage years were remarkably free of conflict. I guess when you share a love of bad 90s Europop, Marx Brothers movies, Robin Hood: Men In Tights, cheesy 90s teen movies, His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, the LotR movies, Paul Keating and Ministry of Sound, the fact that one of you is a trendy private school fashionista and the other is an Internet-addicted, melodramatic literature nerd doesn't matter!

Mimi, these last 19 years have been an honour, a privilege and a delight. I can't think of a better person to have shared my childhood, my adolescence and the early years of adulthood. Happy birthday!



One of the best things about Mimi is that she takes damn good photos!

Comments

[miss-foxy.livejournal.com]

awww that's so sweet!!! what a lovely photo! :D

[dolorosa-12.livejournal.com]

aww, thanks. Good luck in your exam tomorrow!

[thelxiepia.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you two are so close :)
Happy birthday Ronni's sister! *hug*