"Emily Louisa, GET IN HERE!"

If you look over to the left hand corner of the screen you will see this:

Name:
emlouisa

And if you read my bio at the side you will learn (if you were not aware already) that my name is Emily. You may even venture to guess that my first and middle names are Emily and Louisa, but you would be sorely mistaken. Sorely.

You see my friend, I have no middle name. It is true. Upon learning this I am usually looked at with wide eyes. "No middle name? But....why not?" they ask with pity and shock. I tell them that my parents decided not to give me one since after marriage women generally use their maiden name as their middle name or initial. And I guess that makes sense. And if I liked my maiden name it might be less of an issue, but really, who wants to use H as their middle initial? Ew.

But as I was growing up the 'rents soon realized something. It is hard to get the point across when you are yelling just a first name. My sister is Lori Dee, my brother Jeffrey Glenn, my other brother is Andrew Steven. My sister Samantha and I have no middle names and therefore payed less attention when were getting yelled at. My mom came up with a solution for this. I became Emily Louisa.

First it was Emily Lou and Samantha Lou. Probably after my Aunt, who is Norma Lou. (And before you ask, yes, it is an actual name. I wouldn't mock either because she can probably take you. She's one tough broad.) Then Emily Lou became Emily Louisa. I am assuming it has something to do with being the freckle faced, stringy brown-haired child instead of like my sister Samantha with her bouncy blonde curls and toothy grin. She always got to wear pink and purple. I always wore blue and mint green. She was Mary and I was Laura. Not that I'm bitter.

Anyway, so when Mom yelled it was always "Emily Louisa, GET IN HERE!" My brothers and sisters thought it was hilarious and mocked me all the time. Growing up I always acted like I hated Louisa but secretly I did not. I liked having a middle name, even if it wasn't real. It set me apart from the other five hundred fifty thousand Emilys that I have met in my life. (And yes, there are really that many) Sometimes when you are a kid that's all you need.

So thanks Mom. It was a little late, but you made it out of that department unscathed. I would go down to the courthouse and make it official but I don't want to deal with the Laughter-Behind-The-Eyes I would get from the clerks for wanting Louisa as a middle name. I've suffered enough mocking for it already.