"Call Me Ishmael....."

Kelly K

I was named after a baby that my parents saw in a restaurant/bar. My mom was pregnant with yours truly and my parents and 5 siblings were on a rare family night out.

Apparently, there was a baby in the restaurant and my father asked what it's name was.
When he found out it was Kelly, he made a decision that has lasted my lifetime.
"I don't care if this baby's a boy or a girl - we're calling it Kelly, Kelly Kunik." And of course - they did.

My mother had been leaning towards Heather for a girl and Roy for a boy, so I guess I'm grateful for Kelly.

Growing up, I went to school with 3 other Kelly’s and I always wondered if one of them had been that baby in the bar/restaurant from so long ago.

First, there was Kelly M, but who allways went by KellyAnn.

KellyAnn was my friend. When I finally got home from the hospital after being diagnosed with Diabetes, Kelly Ann and her sister Lynn went with me to see Star Wars - I still remember that event vividly - even what clothes I wore (an argyle sweater, blue cords, and a locket - all gifts from my next door neighbor for being in the hospital) and how I fixed my hair - pony tails of course!

KellyAnn was also the girl who got a concussion while playing on the metal Monkey bars and who missed a week of school in first grade. Kelly M would also pass out in Art class whenever we used cement glue. Because of her, kids in our school were banned from using cement glue in the 1st grade. Ironically, metal Monkey Bars were not outlawed until about 12 years ago. Go figure?

Kelly C entered my world in 6th grade. She was the Kelly who was “stacked” and dated High School boys in middle school. She always looked older than the rest of us, and I envied her.
I was skinny, wore thick glasses, and I was quite the late bloomer.
Kelly C and I attended the same high school and I can honestly say, it was during those years that I hated having the name Kelly.

Kelly C didn't like me very much and was not very nice to me for reasons that I'm still not sure of. But today, I don't really care why she wasn't nice to me and I love my name - I guess I've grown. So ya know,...I got that going for me ;)

Kelly G was a boy and was 3 years older than I was. We didn’t talk until I was a Senior in high school, when started dating one of his friends. Believe it or not, I was always somewhat shy when it came to talking with older boys (boys in general actually,) regardless of whether or not we shared the same name.

And finally there was me, Kelly K, the girl with Diabetes who could shoot up through her clothes and got to eat in class whenever she wanted. The same girl who spent her time on the playground convincing her friends the they couldn't catch Diabetes via her Rosanna Rosanna Dana impersonations. Yeah, I watched a lot of TV - but it actually helped as far as "The Big D" was concerned.

I would have preferred being the Kelly K with the big boobs,(at least I didn't crack my head open on the Monkey bars) but I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

So Kelly with Diabetes it was...and still is.