Tell All Tuesday--Names

Southern parents love to name their babies

double names.

And yes, I realize we are in Oklahoma, and not the deep South, but we are Southern to the core.

I realize that most people have a first name and

a middle name,

but in the South,

that first name and middle name

becomesonename.

And if you expect someone to answer by just the 

first name,

well think again!

For instance, I grew up on a Leave It To Beaver

kind of street.

My mother's best friends..(on said street) were:

Mary Sue, Mary Lou, Mary Frances, Betty Lou.

Esther Ruth lived just around the corner.

(And then there was Shirley, but she was a Yankee, so that does not count!) 

We love our double names.

Then there is my mother's name...

You didn't think she would be left out of the

double-name-game-did you?

(When I was little I thought one could only become a mother if they had a double name.)

(And were a Republican!!!!)

My mother's name is

Nina Gay.

That would be a long I...on the Nina.

(As opposed to Nina' of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.)

Whenever my mom gets phone calls at home

and the caller asks for Nina' Gay (and says it like the ship), or just Nina (either pronunciation) she knows it is no one she needs to talk to!

Family legend has it that my

great-great-grandmother got the "Gay"

part of the name from a street in New Orleans.

My great-grandmother was the first Nina Gay.

I also have a cousin named Nina Gay.

And while we are on the names of cousins, we also have a:

Norma Zae, Nelda Faye, Norma Dean, and Nina Beth.

(I have many other cousins as well, but their names don't match the story as well!)

When I was born,

as the oldest,

I bore was fortunate enough to be named

after both of my parents.

The "Lori" comes from my dad "Larry" 

(I wonder how many Lori/Larry father-daughter tandems are in this world????)

And then the "Gay" came from my mother, Nina Gay.

She loved keeping the "Gay" middle name going...

four or five generations 

after that street in New Orleans discovery.

(Let's face it...29 52 years ago, the word had a different meaning.)

And so it would be that to my

mother

and dadsometimes

and grandparents

and family

and my best friend Lisa,
and the Hubby

I would be known as 

Lorigay.

Two words. The first and middle name thing.

But said quickly enough to become

Lorigay.

If I even mention to my mother

that I am not a big fan of

mymiddlename

she pouts.

Then she tells me (and I quote)

"Well, Lorrrriiiiiiii. Gay means happy. It's a beautiful name."

As I got older I learned that it was just one of 

those battles I could not win.

I quit fighting it and just answered

(with a smirk)

to 

Lorigay.

My sister, (who is one of 6-people-with-Kathleen-for-a- middle-name-in-the-family, but that is it's own blog post)

LOVES to revel in the fact that

I was blessed with 

Lorigay.

In fact, she is the one that bought me the magnet, pictured above.

(A side-track story: My sister's children call me Gay-Gay. My cousin Nina Gay's granddaughter calls her Gay-Gay. When we were on vacation together in Seaside, there was always some little one calling out, "Hey Gay Gay"...to one of us. Hmmm. Just imagine how cute that was!)

OK...back to the story....(as I am sure you are on the edge of your seat).

When we bought our new (old) house

 I have mentioned it came with zero appliances.

The lady that had the house 

had bought it for a Bed and Breakfast.

She never got the B and B open before 

she lost the house.

That is all the info our real estate agent 

had about our house almost becoming a B and B. 

After we had bought all our other appliances,

we still needed to get a fridge.

We wanted a brand new one, and began to look around

at any deals we could find.

Finally, we found one that

was Lorigay

approved

and affordable.

We drove to OKC to buy it.

We looked all around, and then looked around some more,

then FINALLY were ready to purchase.

The salesman took us up front to pay

and get our address for delivery.

We gave him our address and he said, 

"Oh yes. We already have you in our system."

(Hmmmm. I don't think so. I am a Craigslist Queen).

What I actually did say to him was, 

"Really?  I don't know how that would be, 

as we have not bought any appliances here before."

To which The Salesman said to us, 

"Yes. A whole kitchen full of appliances...

 sent to
Norma Mae's Get-Away."

Hahahahahahahahaha!!

Really.

What are the chances?

We had gone into OKC to buy the fridge.

There were a million places we could have gone.

And we picked the one place that had a connection 

to our home!

So the almost-was-B&B

would have been

"Norma Mae's Get-Away"....

.....Just another sign

that this house was meant to be...

for me us...

"Lorigay's Get-Away"!

Now that was a heck of a yawn yarn wasn't it?

Here's to 

Norma Zae, Nina Gay, Norma Dean, Nelda Fay, (the other) 

Nina Gay and Nina Beth...and everyone else that is blessed

with 

twonamesasone!

Edited to add: We have no idea where all those appliances are that were bought for Norma Mae's Get-Away. There was nothing here but an ugly sink. And NO! I did not name either of my daughters' my middle name. The long tradition was broken. YES! My mother pouts about that still !!!!