Cathy Knits and more: Happy Birthday ALLISON

Another birthday arrives today. Allison Elizabeth, born at 12:12 pm, 8 lbs 8oz. on Oct 3, 1981. Born during a cool snap (cool for this part of the world in October), and an FSU game (not there, but its presence permeated the great event) and not a day too soon. She was DUE September 10, but was born 3+ weeks later than anticipated. Just in the nick of time since induction was close to happening. And, in celebration of her birthday, I will share a little about her:

She was born with her own pacifier - two middle fingers with the index finger on the side of her nose (I know I don't have an actual picture, but it is firmly ingrained into my memory)
She used her "pacifier" until she was around 4 - and I concocted some crazy story about something I cleaned her hands with one time since she got tar all over them and we had to get it off. It worked, but I am sure not without pain.
She was an escape artist as a young child - one day she escaped out the back door and I got a call from the Social Security office (whose office was behind us...sort of) asking if we had a little girl named Allison - NEXT TIME I GET A CALL FROM SOCIAL SECURITY, IT BETTER BECAUSE THEY ARE GETTING READY TO GIVE HER HER RETIREMENT CHECK - and hope I am alive to tell it
She burned her naked rear end on a space heater trying to get warm after bath time -ouch
She embraced newness of things as much as her sister rebelled against change (still does)
She had the worst case of chicken pox and had remnants of it for weeks after it was over. To add insult to her injury she got scarlet fever at the end of the chicken pox, a tornado hit town and she ended up in the hospital from dehydration (somehow this all happened at once, but don't seem to be related other than it was one heck of a crazy time)
She looks like her Aunt "E"
She has been on three mission trips - to Belize, Navajoland, and New York City soup kitchens (thank you Sonia)
She seems to have nicknames by her friends that I am afraid to ask why they call her that
Her brother and sister call her "Alson"
She doesn't like that nickname
She likes picking at food in the refrigerator (can't wait till she gets her own place and I can go do that at her place).

She has a great sense of fashion.
We HOPE she gets her degree in December in business
She told me she didn't think 70 dollars was a bad price for a shirt. I cringed..where did she get that idea? What money tree did she go to?
She can't tell a joke or a story - don't even try Allison
She can't go ANYWHERE without leaving something for someone to have to mail back to her