Sedonya (is adopted)

One of four first cousins named after places in the American West because their mothers (four sisters from a large New England family) all dreamed of hunky cowboys.  Her mother’s spelling of the Arizona town was a little off, but Sedonya likes the way her name sounds… even when it was loudly shouted by the nuns trying to get attention back into the classroom. Years later, all that day-dreaming paid off, as she designed several labor-saving procedures for pediatric nursing.  Today in retirement she regularly visits children’s hospitals, where her colorful pigtails never fail to bring smiles and giggles.

(a PJH story)

Cheyenne (is adopted)

One of four first cousins named after places in the American West because their mothers (four sisters from a large New England family) all dreamed of hunky cowboys.  Unlike her mother, Cheyenne dreamed of tepees and riding horses bareback.  Following her college graduation from Harvard, she packed up and went west to apply her doctorate in urban planning to the challenges of modernizing Native American reservations.  As an adopted member of several tribes, she regularly grabs her peace-keeping spear for a war dance or two.

(a PJH story)

Nevada (is adopted)

One of four first cousins named after places in the American West because their mothers (four sisters from a large New England family) all dreamed of hunky cowboys. She has yet to set foot west of the Mississippi, but she loves horsepower, especially the kind found in the engines of the vintage Aston-Martins that she restores.  While her mother was disappointed with her career choice, the hunky (and wealthy) race car drivers almost overshadowed the dreams of cowboys.

(a PJH story)

Montana (is adopted)

One of four first cousins named after places in the American West because their mothers (four sisters from a large New England family) all dreamed of hunky cowboys. She realized her mother’s dream when she met and married a handsome rancher who shared her loves of geology and cheerleading.  Now competition judges, they travel the Southwest in search of perfect pyramids.

(a PJH story)

Regina and Beverly (are adopted)

Regina and Beverly were sisters, separated by only 20 months, and best friends from the time of their earliest memories.   Their parents loved music of all types, but Regina and Beverly were especially enamored by R&B, laughing quietly at the irony of that abbreviation.    As they grew older, they envisioned careers performing with their favorite artists.   But, alas, neither Regina nor Beverly could sing.  Oh, they tried, but almost everyone agreed that they should choose a different career path.   Not deterred by lack of singing ability, they entered the R&B scene, partying with all their favorites, staying on the road for weeks following tours, and generally having a very, very good time, especially after they discovered that they could make a lot of money by helping performers manage their finances.   So it was that Regina and Beverly spent many years, had many good times (some of which they even remembered!), and made a small fortune being close to what they love.   And, now in retirement you can find them still enjoying R&B music ........... but beware if you encounter them on karaoke night at the senior center, because they still can not sing!

(a PJH story)

Staranise (is adopted)

As a child she was fascinated with light. Prisms and magnifiers and kaleidoscopes were her favorite toys.
Lightning and rainbows made her anticipate storms and watch their fury with wonder and respect for the power held there. Her most prized possession was a huge MAGLITE flashlight which, at almost 2 pounds, she carried everywhere. Once, after many years, as she was leaving a laser weaponry conference at the Pentagon, she was accosted by a pair of burly thugs. A few paces behind, her military escort advanced to her rescue.By the time they reached her, she had stunned one with the bright light of her "MAGGIE" and whacked the other hard in the knees with the grip. The MPs cleaned up the rest. When questioned about the incident  later she was quoted," they were up to dark deeds but  I believe they saw the light ."
(an EPS story)

Indigo Kapute

Having always favored the color blue, even as hair color, she was never a slave to fashion or convention. As a young woman she was always on the fringes of the music scene writing for indie bands and street buskers. Some of her more outrageous performance pieces were " If you put a bow tie on a turnip", "that is one bad looking baby" and, the holiday classic, " six feet past where the guy who got my goat left my goat".  She now leads the Worship band at the All Points of the Compass, non-denominational congregation of Directional Meditation. She is described as steadfast and dependable by her fellow meditators but sometimes, after service, left all alone, she will wail the opening vamp of "Jumping Jack Flash" on the lonely alto sax.   (an EPS story)

Ivy (is adopted)

Little did her parents know that her name would portend her career choice.  Showing an aptitude for chemistry at an early age, she wrote her doctoral thesis after researching the biochemistry of plant poisons.  Later she discovered several antidote compounds now used in emergency rooms worldwide.   And, her research continues in retirement, so beware if she invites you into her greenhouse …. all the plants there are certain to be deadly!
(a PJH story)

Zagonetka (is adopted)

She was fascinated with jigsaw puzzles from the age of two, solving 1000 piece puzzles by six.  Her exceptional visualization skills led to a long and successful career as a demolition engineer. She could quickly and reliably determine just where to place the charges for effective destruction.  These same skills played a key role in her escape from a deranged kidnapper, who had over-confidently confined her in an elaborate corn maze, only to find her (and the police) waiting on his doorstep 10 minutes later.
(a PJH story)

Daawwn (is adopted)

A diehard Pirates fan, she has a Southern drawl that can both charm and irritate even the most stoic.   Little did folks know that under all that sweetness lay a champion biathlon athlete.  Don’t let her near your guns, boys!
(a PJH story)

Willyamae (is adopted)

From the time she learned to read at age four, she loved stories – the more complicated and mysterious, the better.  But by high school, she became convinced that her disposition was too sunny to inspire best-selling murder mysteries.  In college, she discovered a love of horticulture and was inspired to create her now infamous landscape architect detective Lucille Flowers.  And the sunny but deadly series has paid very well.
(a PJH story)

Judy

Born in Mount Pilot, she was constantly taunted by her cousin’s imitation of Goober Pyle saying “Judy, Judy, Judy”.  Some say she left home just to escape that teasing.  Now a wealthy video game designer in San Francisco, she can laugh about her cousin’s antics, especially when she thinks about the hack that inserts that snippet from the Mayberry series into every Skype chat he has with his Wall Street colleagues.

(a PJH / RHW story)

Saphronia (is adopted)

She doesn’t wear the 4” spiked heels as often now, but she can still spin intriguing stories of hustling home after her midnight shift working frame at the phone company.  Those spiked heels were especially helpful the night the two thugs tried to steal her embroidered shawl.  A couple of well-placed jabs later, two groaning young men were writhing on the sidewalk, listening to those heels click safely away.
(a PJH / MRC story)

Star (is adopted)

Her four older brothers had always teased her about being “the one bright star” in the family, but when she started a company to send the ashes of loved ones on a journey to Alpha Centauri, her childhood nickname took on a new meaning.   Twelve rocket ships later, Fly Them to the Stars is wildly successful and her brothers claim all the credit for inspiring her.

(a PJH / MMB story)

Orange-Jade

Since she was two years old, she wanted to be called Pinky, but neither her family not her hair would support that change.  Now she realizes a part of her dream writing science fiction novels set on a planet where everyone and everything is in shades of pink.  While planet Pinktopia is pure fantasy, her place in the best seller list is quite real.

(an RHW story)

Sventanya

She never knew how her Italian parents decided to name her, but she was grateful for the uniqueness of her moniker.  After college she married her Tahitian sweetheart and moved to Bali to manage his family’s batik fabric business.   And, no one there ever mistook her for an everyday Sue or Jane or Amelia.

(a PJH story)

Claudine (is adopted)

Even though her childhood in the little town of Bethune, SC was in no way uncomfortable, she couldn’t wait to grow up and escape.  So at 16 she packed a small suitcase and boarded a bus for Montana, not realizing that most towns there were almost as small as Bethune.  But somehow training Andalusians for dressage came easily to her, and ranch life with a multitude of hard-bodied cowboys had its own pleasures, so she never returned to Bethune.

(a PJH / MMB story)

Aquavinian (is adopted)

From her earliest memories she loved the ocean. Unfortunately her family lived in Kansas City and beach trips were few during her childhood years.  Later, armed with a marine sciences degree from UNC-W and a PADI dive master certification, she lived out her dreams on a treasure seeking vessel off the Florida Keys.  Even now, years later, she swims like a fish and wields a deadly accurate spear gun.

(a PJH story)

Wendy

As a small child she was dazzled by a television special on daredevils, including a woman who did ballet moves while standing on the top wing of a biplane.  While she never danced on an airplane wing, she did fly by wire across the stage in an off Broadway production of Peter Pan’s Sister’s Friend.  She loved the role so much that she wears her fancy wings regularly, even when they get in her way while working as a land surveyor.

(a PJH / RHW / MMB story)

Oceaneeka (is adopted)

She always knew there was some truth in the stories about mermaids, but she never imagined that her ill-fated suicidal plunge off the Lions Gate bridge would result in such a transformation.  Now she counts porpoise and orca as everyday companions but still relishes sunny days on the rocks of Vancouver Island where she can dry and fluff her colorful hair.

(a PJH story)

Kapreesha (is adopted)

She always wanted to be rocket scientist, but money woes and bad study habits kept her out of engineering school.  Her mechanical skills led to great jobs in custom motorcycle design and paid for her backyard workshop, where her still-in-testing-phase time machine has successfully sped her 10 minutes into the future and back safely.  At least, she thinks it was just 10 minutes; in Winslow, Arizona it’s sometimes hard to tell the passage of time.
(a PJH story)

Aweburjean (is adopted)

Her great grandfather was in France in WWI and somehow fell in love with her name, but it took 40 years for him to get anyone in the family to use it, and then the spelling challenged them.   To her, the name seemed exotic and foreign from her south Alabama home, so she loved it.  That is, until later in life when she learned that it meant “eggplant” in French and was correctly spelled “aubergine”.   She hates eggplant, so now she introduces herself as “Just Jean”.
(a PJH story)

Zophia

None of her childhood doctors could determine the genetic flaw that made her hair such a wonderful shade of purple.  As an exotic dancer in a small but safe club outside Oxford, her distinctive mane brought generous tips which funded her doctorate in genetic counseling.  Now she pursues post-doctoral research in the genetics of complexion while counseling parents of children with unusual eye, skin, or hair color.
(a PJH story)

Quintanita

As the 5th of 7 sisters, she was often overlooked as a child. But once she joined the Marines, she excelled at hand-to-hand combat and became a judo instructor. Even now, many years into retirement, it’s best not to sneak up behind her.

(a PJH story)

Vivietta (is adopted)

You would never know by looking at her aged feet that she once crossed a gorge of the New River on a tightrope wearing river guide sandals.  It was a dare she just couldn’t resist because she was enamored with the handsome dare-maker who shared her love of white water.  Even now she listens to the sound of waterfalls to go to sleep.

(a PJH story)

Berdella (is adopted)

When her third grade geography lesson covered Hawaii, she dreamed of moving from the snowy cold of Wisconsin to the year round sun of the Big Island.   Little did she know then that a stint in the Secret Service would lead her to realize her retirement dream as a hula dancer and welcome hostess in Kona.

(a PJH story)

Rixa

Her schoolmates always thought she was flighty, and she proved them right, but not quite as they imagined.   As a test pilot, she had flown hovercraft and helicopters and survived numerous controlled crashes.  But she never found a way not to squish her hair down in a flight helmet.
(a PJH story)

Kit (is adopted)

From her looks now you would never guess that she once belly danced for fun & profit.  And, if the music is right, she can still “shake her booty” with the best!
(a PJH story)

Parmeenya (is adopted)

She never knew how her name came about, but she loved how it helped her stay unique and a little crazy. Even when she worked in the cube farm by day and played the Cajun zither only on the weekends, she always knew she was something special.

(a PJH story)

Winifred

As a small child, she had seen the world in black & white, right & wrong.   But as a teenager she suddenly realized that was too restrictive, so she added green to her palette.  We won’t say just how she incorporated green, but she is now a well-to-do Colorado business woman, who sees the world in a rainbow of delicious color.
(a PJH story)