Happy Birthday MamaQ!

M: How the angels sang and the heavens rejoiced when MamaQ was born on this day 32 years ago…or was it 33 years ago? Oh, age ain’t nothin’ but a number anyway…

D: It's certainly a good thing that she is the oldest in the family. That way, she had a captive audience of younger siblings to entertain with her theatrics and boss around in the way only an older sister can. And lucky for her, she was smart enough to get away with it. 

M: Despite her brains and beauty, Q sometimes felt a little nerdy growing up. She was a bookworm, wore insanely huge, thick eyeglasses, had braces—the works. But her little sisters never would have known she wasn’t a goddess because we just adored (and still adore) her. Despite a several-year age gap, Q let D and I hang out with her, whether we were going to the mall, playing Barbies or working out to the ‘80s awesomeness of The Firm. She was our babysitter, but she was our friend, too. She’s actually the one who told me the truth about sex when I was but a wee kid. I was probably in first grade when my brother was making fun of me for not knowing what sex was, so I had to tell him that I indeed knew: it was when a man and a woman lie in bed and the woman bends her leg up in the air and rubs it from ankle to thigh. That’s when Elaine burst out laughing and brought me into the bathroom to break the news.

D: I always appreciated how strong Elaine was, though some might call her stubborn. It was a great example to me growing up to see my sister not afraid to speak her mind. She is very opinionated and not afraid to butt heads with someone. I think that age has helped her soften her approach so that she can be agreeably disagreeable when her opinion does differ. But there are so many other sides to Q -- doting mother to daughter Maya, actress/drama queen, loving wife, outdoor enthusiast, activist...

M: She's got the whole package and we're so glad to celebrate her birthday today. Hope your day is great MamaQ!