May 18, 2025
Julie was born on January 27, 1988, weighing in at 7 pounds 2 ounces. She came into a home with three energetic siblings, so her calm nature was an asset, perhaps even a necessity!
The summer she was five years old, we enrolled all the kids in soccer. At the end of the season, Julie walked slowly off the field and announced: “The only thing I like to do in this game is play goalie, ‘cause I can just stand there. Otherwise, I have to run around the field, chase that ball, and get sweaty.”
A couple of years later, Julie was hanging around the bench with her sisters’ soccer team. She came over to me and said, “I wanted to try their special sports drink but they told me it tastes like pig sweat.”
I assured her, “Oh, I don’t think it would.”
“Yes,” Julie said, “I tried it, and it does taste like pig sweat!”
When she was about 6 years old, Julie spilled something on the kitchen floor. I directed her to the box of rags so she could clean up the mess. I happened to glance over as she came from the box. She had put rags on her head and shoulders, plus holding some in her hands.
Mom: “Julie, why are you covered in rags?”
Julie, voice solemn and matter-of-fact: “Well I thought if I have to do Cinderella’s work, I might as well look like her.”
Another scene of her childhood remains clear in my mind’s eye. Again, it was at the side of the soccer field, when her sisters were playing a game. It was a combination misty/sunny afternoon. Julie had on a dress (with lots of skirt) and she carried a small umbrella. She loved to twirl in a dress, and she did so while holding a toy radio which played, over and over, the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Years later, she now sings beautifully in real concerts, with fans to listen!
