So there have been some questions about my name. I'm not surprised. There always are.And really, the person with the unusual name should not have to be the one to explain it, spell it, laugh at the multiplicity of mispronunciations, and basically apologize to the world for being difficult.
You know who should have to?
These guys. The two young lovers who were so high on edelweiss and lederhosen that they thought giving their firstborn a German name would just be the epitome of wit and wunderbar.
I mean, please. The language responsible for Gesundheit, Volkswagen, and Oktoberfest should probably not be the one to shop around when choosing a name for your American baby girl.
Especially if you are planning to send her to public school.
But now that I've stuck with it for the past almost-38 years, my unusual name is part of who I am...just like my stubby fingers and my short bow legs. I don't always like it, but it's one of the unusual and exotic spices that make up my original recipe.
So here's the 411:
Gab--rhymes with slob, snob or get-a-job.
Diminiutive of Gabi--rhymes with blobby--which is what most everyone calls me.
My full name is Gabriele--which looks really beautiful on a wedding invitation, but which is frequently massacred by telemarketers, teachers and the people that announce your name at college graduation.
Don't worry. If we ever meet and you get it wrong, I probably won't even notice. Believe me. I'm used to it.
Any further questions should be directed to my mom's blog. Although she still doesn't really understand what I'm whining about.
After all, she changed to a German name the first chance she got.
Just call her Oma.
23 comments:
Hi there,
You closed down comments on your polygamy blog -- so I'll tell you here -- I loved it. And I'll be back often. :)
Gabi! I love you and your name! It was fun to hear the background behind it! I just had your famous FLDS posting forwarded to me for the second time today. You are famous! :)
I had no idea that was how you pronounced it. Interesting.
I totally get your issues.
Ilene is a great name for jokes... especially when you grew up with the last name that looks and sounds a lot like Windward. I always vowed I would marry a man who didn't tease me about my name. And I did. I remember telling Dan that I was always teased for a name that sounds like 'I lean wind ward." Dan's response, "That's dumb."
He obviously was "the one."
My sister's name is Winnie. Somehow my brothers ended up with normal names (John, Mark, and Paul). Go figure.
how funny. i was actually planning on coming over here and askign you about your name after reading JESS'S post. i thought you were joking over there.
i see you were not.
hmmm. well, i'm ONdrea, not ANdrea or onDRAYuh or any other weird derivitive. so i'm also used to name torture. this girl i knew really did nickname me ONDY for years. she thought it was so clever. i hated her.
Yes, but do you realize how cool your name is becoming now? My daughter with a very easy-to-pronounce name whines daily asking me why I DID NOT name her Gabrielle (think HS Musical, our new best friend around here). Your mom was just ahead of her time. Yeah, that's it.
Gabi,
Got the sweetest card in the mail yesterday. THANK YOU A MAZILLION- it totally made my day and beyond. I love your writing too- gorgeous.
So as for the name thing- I equally have issues. I often wonder why I got the craziest name (as compared to Jessica & Tony- what the????). My parents thought it was equally as wonderful to give me the name of my heritage. I get that- except that I don't live anywhere near Spain or Nicaragua and have to pronounce it EVERY single time (my full name) and spell my nickname EVERY single time. Which is why I have my 3 very common names. I hope that my kids don't hate me for the common thing as much as I hated my parents for the crazy names. Ironically my dh can't stand weird names and yet he married me. Go figure.
CAN'T WAIT TO MEET IN PERSON- 1 week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You know know me, but since the comments on your LDS post were disabled, I wanted you to know that your blog is now being circulated as an email! I got a forwarded copy of it today (sadly w/o a reference to where it came from) and Tiburon disclosed its true source. You're famous!
Did you see how Andrea just made fun of me in her comment? Rude.
I have to say, it's all weird when you've been thinking of someone one way (for 9 months) and you have to switch it around it your head. Since yesterday, I've been walking around saying "Gahb, Gahbby, Gahbriele." Okay, not really. Just a little bit.
Now I get it!!! This name posts are so informative and will avoid awkwardness and blogapalooza.
Gob Blog. That is very clever!
(I am Heidi R.'s sister btw)o00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
how funny... i never thought your name was odd, but then i grew up knowing you. i think it's beautiful.
I like you & your name just the way you are. {mr. rogers moment}
Great explanation & post, though! Thankfully, Christie gave me the pronunciation of your name before we met so I came well informed :)
I loved how you pointed out the obvious...It is the parents' who should field all of the questions :)
GAB!! I have to admit, I totally was saying Gab in my mind, not Gob. But now I know so I'll be prepared. And now I know that Andrea is Ondrea and not Andrea. Good post. I just posted how to pronounce my name too just in case.
Seriously glad you posted this. I was worried after I read your comment on Jessica's blog and could NOT figure out the different between bobby and abby. But now I get it.
I have a boring name and my sisters have the cool, unusual names. I named my daughter Brynn. We always have to spell it and people get it wrong all the time. I think it's beautiful. Glad you cleared this up before blogapalooza!
Feeling partially responsible for this post after yesterday's conversation. You skipped a beat when I said "GAB" totally and completely wrong. Sorry.
I would have thought it was French! The girls my husband taught in Germany were Anneliese, Gertrud and Renate.
When your last name is Groseclose you can image the comments and stupid jokes. I understand completely.
I know. We've always thought it built your character.
Actually, the day after we decided we were in love we met a darling girl named Gabi, and since everything about that day was dazzling, so was the name. So you're named after the day we started our family. What is we'd met a girl named Weintraub that day? It could have been worse.
shall i call you weintraub? wow, aren't you lucky...i can commiserate with you on the name...my name is never pronounced correctly..jolene, jocelyn, joellen...weird, when i think it's pretty easy to say...your name is who you are and you've made it beautiful....
So funny. I love your name! I think it's beautiful. My name seems to be very difficult for a lot of people also, and I've stopped correcting them.
I hear ya...Mary Ann, Rose Marie, Ann Mary, Emery,just to name a few.
Hey, my husbands name is Stacy ~ He feels your pain. BTW, I often get called Stacy by those same people that mispronounce yours so often! Heck, I'm used to it now! Love your name, though!
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