What was your relationship with your family growing up?

We were close.  That comes from moving a lot.  There were times when we had our squabbles and were irritated with each other but for the most part I can truly say that Marianne was my best friend all through my life.  Bob and I had a close relationship too.  It is interesting because we tended to bring everyone to our house.   I didn't really like going to other people's homes unless I was babysitting.  The only two houses I ever really spent time in when I grew up were the Collie's and my friends Marabee's.  I was just much happier bringing everyone to my territory.  Mary Hornbeck, when we lived in Maryland, always wanted everything at her house but I was never comfortable there.  I went over there mostly just to pick her up and then we would meet in a yard - kind of no man's land. I think that is why when my girls were teenagers that I liked everyone over at our house all of the time.  It is how I grew up.

We did a lot of things as a family.  We went on family outings on Saturdays and if Dad had an assignment, we went with him on Sundays.  Our vacations were always together.  We always had lots of other people over so I guess that is where I got my cue that it was okay to fill the house up to the rafters for game nights or whatever.

I am happy to say that Marianne and I still very close.  We can pick up where we left off whether on the phone or in person.  Bob and I are a lot the same way but it just doesn't happen as often.

Happy Birthday to my niece, Christina Dittmar.  Hope you have a wonderful day, a good interview and an incredible year.  We love you!

What's your favorite memory of your dad?

One of my most favorite memories of my dad is that he would take me places instead of Mom from an early age.  Mom would get sick and be bedridden and Dad would have tickets to the symphony or opera.  I would go instead.  Dad would carefully teach me about what were going to listen to or see and we would head off.  I loved those outings and I learned to love classical music because of them. It is probably my favorite genre of music to this day.

When I was 10, Dad had a big conference in West Berlin (at the time it was behind the Berlin Wall).  Grandma and Grandpa Brugger were going and Mom was going with Dad.  Just before the conference, Mom was hospitalized for a few days and couldn't go because she was still recovering.  I got to go instead.  I felt so grown up!  We were there 6 days and I had a wonderful time.  Dad's meeting took up the morning and then we had the rest of the day to sight-see.  One of my best memories with my father as a child.

The summer before I went to college, I was having kind of rough time and so I was fasting.  I was trying to puzzle through some dilemma by myself.  Dad came to me and said, "Tell your very own personal father what is going on."  I did and was able to see that what was bugging me was not that big of a deal.  Ever since - when I have a problem I need to talk to Dad about that IS a big deal, I tell him I need to speak to my very own personal father.  He knows then that I need his undivided attention.  This doesn't happen often but it is code between the two of us. 

My other memory that I love of my father - though this is not a childhood memory - is how delighted he was to hold each of my daughters as a newborn and each of my sister's daughters as newborns.  I was not privy to my brother's children's births except for Katherine and he was delighted with her too.  I was tickled at the total adoration he had for them.  He would visit with them on his lap for the longest time  - whenever he got the chance.

What's your favorite memory of your mom?

My first favorite memory of my mom was just after Marianne and I got the dollhouse.  Marianne was only 2 and really didn't care about it but I loved it.  One afternoon I was playing with it and Mom stopped what she was doing and spent the afternoon playing with me.  I don't know that she ever did that again but that has always been special.

When I was senior in high school, my English Teacher divided out a group of students and basically started an advanced English class.  I was in it and loved it.  Towards the end of the year, we had covered everything, so he had us read contemporary novels.  We were to read 2 a week.  These were not lightweight reads.  I got a little bit behind and needed to read The Grapes of Wrath in order to get an A in the class.  The problem was that the test was the next day.  Mom and I marathon read from the time I got hom from school - all night long -  until 3 in the morning to finish the book.  I got an A+ on the test because I even answered the bonus questions correctly.  I remember being surprised that my mom would offer to read with me that night.  But after being a mom, I realize now that is just what loving moms do.  I would do it today for one of my children or grandchildren in a heartbeat.

Who were some of you favorite relatives and what made them special?

For some reason my Aunt Norma Allen and I have had a special relationship from the time I was born.  It isn't really Aunt and niece but more sisterly.  She has been my big sister my whole life.  Aunt Norma has been my go-to person when I needed a shoulder to cry on forever.  My first memory of Norma is lying on the linoleum with her as we were trying to stay cool in an un-air conditioned house in August in Texas.  I was supposed to be taking a nap but Aunt Norma and I were talking.  I remember Mom had the fan blowing on her and it was just before Marianne was born.  A very annoying habit I had was to wake Aunt Norma up - I would lift her eyelid up and say, "Aunt Norma - are you in there?"  She never seemed to mind.  When I did that once to my mother, I got spanked with a wooden spoon.  You did NOT wake up Mom when she sleeping!  It is funny because to this day, I call Aunt Norma up to vent.  I also call her to just to visit - so hopefully I don't come off as the whiny - needy niece!  We see each other and pick up where we left off.

Sarah Anne Nielson Tuttle and Lloyd Tuttle were also very special to me.  I loved going to visit them.  Grandpa Tuttle always took us up in the mountains for cookouts and on jeep rides.  He was extremely patient and everything a grandpa should be.  Grandma was also incredibly wonderful.  She became Omi when my children were little because suddenly there were so many grandmas in the room!  We had to differentiate somehow.  She loved her name and loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Even her stepchildren and step-grandchildren were loved as dearly as her own flesh and blood.  She is the one that taught me that often we are related only by love.

I was also close to my Grandpa George Brugger.  Grandpa was a man that loved to work and serve others.  He was the epitome of a strong priesthood holder and someone that my own father emulates.  Grandpa was a little more patient than my dad though.  I don't know if that was something he learned or it just came with him.  Men are not usually compassionate.  There are some but it is not a normal characteristic of a male.  My Grandpa Brugger was truly compassionate and full of Christlike love.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was little, I wanted to be a mommy.  That pretty much stayed with me always but in the back of my mind there were other things I wanted.  When I was in third grade I wanted to be a nurse.  I pretty much stuck with that until I was a Candy Stripe volunteer the summer before my Junior year.  Suddenly I realized they did the dirty work and I knew that was not for me.  So I changed my mind to an airline stewardess.  I had applied to United and even been accepted to their program when I met Clyde.  It became a moot point when I chose marriage over a career.  You could not be married and a flight attendant in those days - so it was either Clyde or United.  I chose Clyde.

I thought that being an elementary school teacher might be nice until I substituted for 5 years.  Then I decided I would rather teach High School.  I came within 1 year of that dream and we moved to Utah. Family came first right then and I am glad it did.  I needed to be a mom and wife at that time.  It paid off with closer relationships with my daughters and a better marriage with my husband.

What were some of your pets and what made them special?

The first pet I remember was when I was 4 years old.  I was given a gold fish for my birthday.  I think about it now and think what an odd present for a 4 year old but nonetheless it was a gift.  For Christmas my mom had been given a new watch and in those days watches came in cases like fine jewelry.  She gave me the box and I put doll clothes accessories in it and my treasures.  I thought wouldn't it be nice if the fish had wonderful bed to sleep in - SO - no more fish.  My mother was appalled that I would do such a thing, Dad just laughed and said it was a life lesson - whatever that meant.  I just blew it off because I had only had the fish one day - I was not attached.

We also had a black Cocker Spaniel named Courtney O'Reilly III.  Reilly was a wonderful dog and I loved him.  Mom decided just before Bob was born that he was too much bother so he was given away to the Sparrow family.

We didn't have any pets for a long time until we moved to Washington DC and we have told you about Dolly and Kitty.  Our next pet was Ching.  She was a full blooded Siamese cat and she was beautiful.  Our whole family loved her, especially Mom.  She was sweet and seemed to know when someone was sick.  She would quietly sit with you until you were better.  We all thought she was my cat when in truth she belonged to us all.  Some teenagers drove up onto our lawn late at night - almost to the front door to run over her in their car.  They did this to several other animals in the neighborhood and it turned out they were high on drugs.  A couple of families prosecuted them.  Mom and Grandpa George Brugger were so devastated that they were teary for days.

We got Ming. Ming was also a Siamese Cat.  Ming had such a bad kink in her tail it had to be surgically cut off because it got in the way of her bathroom habits - leaving her only about a 3 inch tail. Mom always had her cats de-clawed but after Kitty - only the front claws were removed.  Ming had one claw and she knew it and used it.  When we were in Ephraim, there was Great Dane named Twiggy that was the terror of the neighborhood.  Ming quickly put Twiggy in her place.  She would bring birds and mice and leave them on Marianne's and my pillows.  She was so thoughtful.  We had to leave her behind when we went to Germany.  Ming was really the last family pet with Marianne and me full time at home.  We had Lady but she didn't appear in the family until after I was married.

What were some of the best presents you received as a kid?

I loved the baby dolls that I received for Christmas.  My two favorites were a Madame Alexander Baby Doll that Mom named Carolyn and a small baby doll that I named Chocolate Anne.  I think I have both of them in storage still.  Chocolate Anne was the last baby doll I received that I played with.  I had another tiny baby Madame Alexander doll (6 inches) that I loved but about 6 weeks after I received her as a gift, Mom had me give her away - always with the promise that she would be replaced.  They never made her again.  The sad part of our gifts is that they didn't want things - they wanted money.  I was not supposed to hear that part of the exchange but my room was next to Mom and Dad's.  I don't think Mom had ever had anything blow up in her face like that before.

The Christmas that I received my first Barbie was pretty incredible.  Thereafter that is pretty much the only doll I ever got again.  Dad thought we should have a doll at Christmas - no matter how old we were. It became kind of a joke after I was married.  My most favorite Barbie ever was one that had wigs and you could change her hair into basically 4 different styles.  I loved that doll and I loved Midge - Barbie's best friend.  Dad had built us a dollhouse when we lived in Texas and Barbie fit in it - just barely.  When we were in Washington DC and things would become too overwhelming - I would go into the basement and rearrange the furniture in the Barbie house and dress the dolls.  I could get lost doing that for hours.

When I had my appendix out, Grandpa George Brugger bought me a magnetic puppet stage.  The figures were about 1 1/2 inches long and it told 4 or 5 stories.  My two favorites were The Emperor's New Clothes and Swan Lake.  The Emperor was done in China.  At first I was a bit put off by that and then fell in love with the exotic and beauty of the pieces.  I had always liked the story so I played with that one a lot.  The Swans were actually ballet pieces.  Dad played me the ballet and told me the story - using the pieces.  I think that is why that one was special.  Mom was so afraid that I would lose the pieces that she would only let me play with it occasionally.  When we moved to Germany - quite a few of my toys did not make it over as well as some of my clothes and this was in that box.  (The Collie's moved the same time we did and they pressed charges.  Turned out one of guys would box things into private boxes and take them home or sell them.  After that Mom and Dad stood and watched the packers pack.)

When I was 16 for a combination birthday/Christmas present, Dad sent me from Korea a beautiful watch and an amethyst ring.  I thought they were the most beautiful gifts I had ever received.  (I don't think Marianne and I received dolls that year - come to think of it.  Marianne might have but I didn't.)  These are the gifts that stand out in my mind.  Marianne and I bought record albums for each other and I get misty eyed listening to that music on Pandora. 

 A funny gift from Grandpa George Brugger is that he bought Marianne and me both negligees.  I tell people that and it kind of creeps them out but he did it because we wanted them and he loved us.  We felt so beautiful in those.  I wore mine until it was shredded.  They were gowns and cover-ups.  One of my friends said all I needed was the tiara and I would have been set!  I am sure I was quite the sight in my beautiful blue gown and huge fuzzy pink slippers!