From Generation to Generation

I have a very close knit family, therefore picking just one memory was quite the challenge when there were so many memories to choose from. However, I decided to make the choice easy on myself and chose our longest lasting family memory, the one I won't ever be able to live down.

When I was little, probably 3 or 4, I had an addiction to coke, not THAT coke, coca-cola. I would practically hunt it down, and that’s where this story begins. I had received my coca-cola addiction from my Opa (grandpa) from Belgium, who had used to disguise his coke as coffee and wasn’t busted for a good couple years until my mom had started to notice his “coffee” was bubbly. Every night my Opa would bring a glass of coca-cola with him to bed to drink through the night, and I had soon figured this out. So in the middle of the night I had decided to sneak out of my room, over my child gate, and to our guest room where my Oma and Opa were staying, where I then proceeded to drink all of my Opa’s coke. 

However, from their perspective all they could hear in the dark room was my excitement, “mmmmm coke……..mmm yummy”, and this went on for a while. By morning time, everyone knew I was the coke bandit and I will forever live as the coke bandit. I have never been able to drink coke  without someone mocking me, “Mmmmm coke!”, or when I get on the phone with my Oma and Opa they retell the story like it was yesterday every time. 

I never mind though, I still find my little self funny to this day, and it’s been a memory that has been able to connect us miles away. With my Oma and Opa living in Belgium we are thankful to see each other once a year, therefore the memories we share are limited and highly cherished. This long living joke has served as an ongoing connection/joke between us no matter how far away we are.