Origins of "af"

it has occurred to me that while I can't figure out how to change the font on that last post...in the meantime, I could discuss the origins of "af" and how that nickname came to be.

for anyone that has kids, there is the tendency to shorten the names when you're writing out notes or chore-lists or the like to just the first letter. so, in my family now, there is an A and an E(the girls). But in the family I was raised in, there were an A,J,T,R,S and a K. but--(so while Amy was and will forever and always be our sweet little Amy--her name was never shortened) there TWO other children with the first letter of an A..., so the second A, became Af. even to this day--mama leanne's code for her children on their christmas presents, notate the A for Adam and the Af...for afton. yeah...not bad enough just being in the middle WITH redhead hair and an eye color that couldn't make up its mind until i was about 20, i had two first letters. what?!?! differences are huge to kids. and so--i embrace it. now....

after I was married, the Afton was also shortened by Dan to be af, and he still occasionally calls me this and I have moved on to also sign my emails with the -af. it's the nickname that brings the reader closer to the person. and the name for this blog became af, because at the creation, I wasn't totally sure of the privacy issue around using my real name and the girls real names (i've since overcome THAT fear and moved on to the thousands of other fears rolling around in my mother-brain; cause there's only so many names I can keep straight for me and my girls).

and a special shout out to my parents, who--when they purchased me a brand new hard cover hymn book at the distribution center and then wanted to know what to engrave it with (i have a different last name from the girls....) allowed me to put...af and the girls on the cover. yes, there was a few minutes of discussion with Leanne, but in the end--she must have seen the determined look in my eyes at how i needed to tie the name to a family name on the book..didn't want to be left out of "the family" circle i am creating for myself....and it looks cool.

the last name thing is a tricky work around sometimes, and as I explained a number of years ago to the girls(mostly when they start school is when it comes up) how I will answer to Mrs. D-, but my last name is really different--that their mom has the last name of "her" dad--just like "they" have the last name of their dad. it's a stretch...yes, i'm aware...but young women's sunday lessons only prepares you for some of the issues of life. and others--you have to make the solutions up as you go along.

[in my moments of fantasy or playing hardball with dan the man, i do like to threaten the changing of their last names to include an alternate spelling of our names together or give the girls additional middle names...but reason usually comes around and i leave it alone...for now; if anyone has known me since i was 18, will know that there's another tangent to "af" including the word "AFRO", but this will have to do for today...gotta have SOMETHING to look forward to]

I'm af. and the name has served me well. that's enough talking to myself for now...back to work and all the fun that is...whatever it is they pay me to do....hmmmm....

wonder what THAT might be for today....  ¶ 12:17 PM