Two weeks back was our anniversary. Today, it’s Anne’s birthday. I think we can all agree that “Happy Birthday” doesn’t sound right. But it’s still a day to remember Anne and celebrate the joy and laughs she brought into our lives.
This photo is from the trivia game we MC’d at our joint 50th birthday party, held in the courtyard by the North Shore Lagoon swimming pool at McMenamins’ Anderson School in Bothell. It was a great spot to celebrate fifty years on this big blue marble. The kids swam while the adults made merry. It was one of those gatherings that felt a little like our wedding — full of people we loved from both sides of our lives.
To elevate the mood, here are some “Anneisms” — expressions she loved and used over the years. If you knew her, you probably heard her use a few of these:
“Too late, lady.”
In her younger years, Anne visited an amusement park with friends. They convinced her to try one of those tall tower rides that hoists you up and drops you. She agreed, reluctantly. Once everyone was buckled in at ground level, Anne’s nerves took over and she called out to the ride operator that she couldn’t do it and wanted off. He looked at her and as he pushed the start button, he said “Too late, lady.” Up she went. She survived, of course — and gained a catchphrase to use for the rest of her life.
“Cut it!”
Months into our relationship, we took a “train” trip to Vancouver with friends Bonnie and Mike. The train line was down, so Amtrak was running busses northbound instead. A mother with a crying baby sat a few rows up, and behind us was a disheveled man who seemed… let’s say “over-served.” The baby continued to cry on and off for the majority of the trip. After a while, clearly irritated, the man suddenly barked “Cut it!” loudly for the entire bus to hear. Boom — Anne had another catchphrase, perfect for any loud or irritating sound.
“I want that”
In the movie Napoleon Dynamite, Uncle Rico tries to sell Tupperware door-to-door. He’s sitting across the table from a couple and pulls out an incentive prize: a triple‑masted ship model. The woman leans toward her husband and drawls, “I want that.” Anytime Anne spotted something tacky, absurd, or delightfully unnecessary, she’d repeat that line in the same drawl. YouTube clip
“That’s what she said.”
If you watched The Office, you know this one. Anne and Michael Scott shared the same fondness for turning innocent phrases into innuendo.
“I thought it would be bigger.” → “That’s what she said!”
“I think it’s stuck.” → “That’s what she said!”
I can hear Anne saying it now and cracking everyone up!
“D’oh!”
Like many Gen Xers our age, Anne and I were big fans of The Simpsons’ early seasons. Anne loved Homer’s catchphrase expression of exasperation and used it frequently.
“I could eat Dick’s all night.”
This was more a favorite story than a catchphrase. Early in Anne’s career as a middle school language arts teacher, a class discussion turned to favorite foods. One boy enthusiastically declared, “I really like Dick’s. I could eat Dick’s all night.” The class erupted. Anne barely held it together and it became a favorite anecdote. (For anyone outside Seattle, Dick’s is a popular burger joint that first opened in the Wallingford neighborhood in 1954.)
“Baaaaaa!”
Anne was always cracking jokes, and sometimes she’d “prime the pump” for laughter. Right after delivering her joke line, she’d exclaim “Baaaaaa!” — her way of underlining the punchline and nudging everyone into laughter.
Love you always, Annie. -Brent
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