“What you see is what you get.”

Ok, Jodi, I know you’re out there,… I can hear you breathing.

Why don’t you update your blog! Oh, I guess it’s because you don’t have anything to blog about. I mean, it’s not like you have a new grandson or anything, - or that the next family member you were supposed to write about just happens to be his proud and patient Momma.

Ok, I’ll do this next installment for ya! Only I’ll do you!

So, my sister Jodi. Hmmm, how would you describe her? She’s a very unique individual, to be sure. Let’s see,…

“Jodi is a hillbilly version of Mother Theresa with an attitude, … in lime green socks and a sweatshirt.” Yep, that pretty much sums it up. But let me expound a bit.

Jodi is about 5’5” and weights 102 lbs. Oh, hell, now that middle age has hit, she might be tipping the scales at about 108. But tiny as she is, Jodi is the toughest person I know. Mentally, physically and emotionally, I’d stack her up against Mr. T or Hulk Hogan any day, - and watch her reduce them to a sniveling mass of flem. (Kate never did stand a chance, and she knew it. That’s why she was a no-show on the beach.)

Jodi’s one downfall is that she has the biggest heart in the world. She can’t handle seeing anyone or anything feeling down and out. I mean, this woman has beat Cancer – twice! But she can’t handle seeing an old house torn down, or a child crying. She wants to fix everything – for everybody – all the time. If she could, she would spend every waking moment of every day working just to make other people happy, but unfortunately, she has to eat and sleep sometime. Jodi is happiest when she’s “fixing” things.

And then, Oh poor Jodi, her sense of “style” has kind of been a family joke for several years now. I remember several years ago when she was quite the fashion plate! But somewhere along the line, she got this dumb idea that it was better to be comfortable than to look cute. Can you believe that!!! Well, anyway,… she’s always wearing sweatshirts, no matter what the weather. Well, actually if it’s over 100 degress, she does wear a t-shirt. Some of her sweatshirts are pretty cool, like her BSU ones! But the real kicker that made Jodi’s wardrobe famous is lime green socks. She got some in the early 80’s and wore them every single day for over 20 years! Then, last spring, I realized she was without them! My God, they finally wore out! I knew this had to have been taking an emotional tole on her, so I began watching for new ones in stores. The problem is – no one in their right mind wears lime green socks, so they weren’t exactly easy to find. But I did find some in July and took them to her. I take comfort in knowing that Jodi was probably able to maintain emotional stability because I found her new lime green socks.

Jodi has her own unique style of humor. Basically, she excels at making fun of other people. She will tell a story, or make a comment, with such dry wit that you just about bust a gut laughing. The visuals Jodi puts in my head crack me up so much, I almost pee my pants.

And finally, Jodi really isn’t a hill-billy. Steve is a hill-billy. Ival is a hill-billy ‘wannabe’. But Jodi is just a very genuine person, - a “what you see is what you get” kind of person, and that sometimes gets confused with hill-billyism. But she’s not a hillbilly. She is fun, and funny, beautiful and bright, and quite entertaining. But she’s not a hill-billy, she’s just my big sister, Jodi.

I love you Sis!!!