2 x the Ja(y)ne, 2 x the Fabulous!

Happy Birthday to the "other" Ja(y)ne Elizabeth Tjardes! That's is right, there are two of us. The "other" Ja(y)ne is my sister-in-law, Jayne.

Jayne is a special person... you kind of have to be to be married to my brother for 25 years! Not that I am complaining about Phil, mind you... in the past month he has fixed my garage door opener and pumped nasty flood water out of my crawlspace... but still it takes a special person, he is a bit of a "character". Jayne and I obviously bond over the fact that we share the same name, with the exception of her "y". Everytime we call one another on the phone it is the same routine... "Ja(y)ne? This is Ja(y)ne."... followed by a little giggle. Yes it is silly, and you would think after 25 years it might get old, but no it really doesn't. Needless to say the same name thing does cause for some confusion... perhaps the creepiest is when one of my co-workers saw Phil at the Hall one time and asked, "You are Jane Tjardes' brother, right?" to which Phil responded, "Yes, and her husband." Luckily said co-worker was aware of the "two Ja(y)nes" because otherwise... EW! After 10+ years of having both of us answer when she called "Ja(y)ne" my Mom came up with new "labels" for us... "Mom Jayne" and "Bank Jane". We don't particularly care for them at all, we even suggested "Jaynie" and "Jano" (Jayne does not share my aversion to "Ja(y)nie") as an alternative, but isn't happening. I will admit that we both immediately know to which one she is referring and I don't know that Jayne plans to get a job at a bank, or I plan to have a baby just to make my Mom stop.

Jayne has a way of making things look "put together". She used to be a visual merchandiser for Von Maur and now she stages homes for sale. I guess I have some style, and perhaps could be considered crafty or slightly Martha Stewart-esque, but I need directions and a specific materials to put stuff together... Jayne puts me to shame, she could organize your broom closet and make it look "designer" or plant a few seeds here and there and have it look like the cover of Better Homes & Gardens.

Happy Birthday Jayne!