Stacy Bon-who?

So, I moved to Ohio in the 2nd grade. At that time, I began attending school with Stacy Bongini. Stacy's mom and my dad went to high school together. Stacy lost her dad when she was three, so it was just her, her mom (Sandy-you NEVER called her Mrs. Bongini) and her brother, Steve who is the same age as my brother.

I LIVED at their house growing up! Everyone wanted to live at their house growing up. Why?
1) Sandy never cooked so they always ate out. If you were there, you got to eat out too!
2) Their freezer and pantry was stocked with junk food: snickers, Reeses Cups, Little Debbie snack cakes...anything and everything!
3) Stacy had no bedtime so we could stay up as long as we wanted. To a 10 year old, that is HEAVEN!
4) Stacy had two German Shepards: Xito (pronounced Zeeto) and Cujo (like the movie) and they were awesome. The Bongini's never locked their house (there was no need) and if the dogs knew you it was no problem to walk in the back door. If they didn't, your life flashed before your eyes as the dogs would come charging toward your face.
5) Christmas Eve was so fun! Every year since I was 14 or so, I have gone to Stacy's for Christmas Eve. I usually wouldn't go over until after 9 so that she and her family could open presents with her grandparents. Once that was done, Stacy and I would spend the rest of the evening eating cookies, wrapping presents, repeating lines from A Christmas Story and watching the Pope, secretly wondering if he would make it thorough the entire Midnight Mass on TV that year.

To this day, if I am in Ohio (I think i have only missed 2 since 1990) I still go to Stacy's for Christmas Eve. Things are a little different:

• Her mom is no longer with us nor are the dogs
• We are old enough to have wine now instead of soda
• It's no fun watching the new pope...he's a little more functional than PJP2
• We now have little kids (Stacy's cousins)to entertain us instead of the dogs

But we still watch A Christmas Story every year!!