I've rewritten this intro post several times, because even though I'm thrilled to have Truly Me #89 in my collection, and I was able to get her at an impressive discount, it took me over a year to finally unbox her, because life took a very depressing turn this year. To be brief...
tw: stroke, parental loss (expand to read)
I've spent so much of this year in fight mode, it's been hard to get back to a semblance of "normalcy" -- especially taking the time to do the things I used to really enjoy. After months of neglect, I finally changed out my display case. It had been frozen in time, decorated for Easter, for months. I redressed a few of my dolls and rearranged some things. Then finally, a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to unbox the Truly Me #89 I'd bought back in July of 2022.
A Long-Awaited Introduction
I had managed to get Truly Me #89 during an exciting Amazon lightning deal. She and a few other Truly Me dolls were only $69 -- the lowest price I'd ever seen for them at that point! After the introduction of Sophie, my Maltese-American girl based on my mom's side of the family, I'd been looking to add a doll to my collection who could be Choctaw and Irish, to reflect my dad's paternal side of the family, and Truly Me #89 seemed like a perfect fit. I also have Danish in me, from his maternal side, but Kirsten is a sort of stand-in for now, until I can come up with a better representative.
I was so excited when my new doll arrived! Her face was absolutely perfect -- better than a few dolls I'd received directly from American Girl! I was very relieved. Over a year later, unboxing her reminded me how much fun I have collecting and displaying these dolls. She's such a beautiful doll, and her wig in particular is one of the best I've seen among the Truly Me dolls! I did add some removable vinyl eyelashes (by littlebittyhearts), but she looks amazing without them, too!
Stories of the Past
My dad and my grandpa were always extremely proud to be Choctaw. I am, too. Chahta ohoyo sia hoke! ("I am a Choctaw woman!") I've always known I was Choctaw, and thanks to my family, I've had good examples of being proud of my heritage, even when others try to diminish it. The racial slurs my grandpa endured only made him that much more vocal about his Choctaw heritage. And my dad wasn't afraid to educate my middle school principal when she glossed over my history fair presentation on the Trail of Tears and tried to tell me "it wasn't really that bad in the end." In recent years, I've encountered people who try to police who should or shouldn't be proud of their Native heritage -- mostly non-Native people who think only those who "look Native" should be vocal about it. NOPE. I don't care what I look like in anyone's eyes. I am proud of every part of my heritage -- the Choctaw, Irish, Danish, and Maltese.
The Choctaw and the Irish
One of the reasons I'm especially proud to be Choctaw and Irish is because of the bond between the two. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma's website describes it in better detail than I can here, but to summarize, not long after the Choctaw had endured the Trail of Tears, they took up a collection to help the Irish when they were experiencing famine. The Irish never forgot that kindness and in later years, not only established a scholarship for Choctaw students to study in Ireland, but also paid the Choctaw people's kindness forward and send aid to the Hopi and Navajo during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. How can I not be proud of both?!
Keira
Keira's name reflects both sides of her heritage. "Keira" comes from "Ciara," which means "dark-haired" in Gaelic. "Montaña" was one of my Choctaw great-grandmother's names.
I'm slowly beginning to flesh out Keira's story, but for sure, she will be a train lover, just like my dad and my grandpa. I think she and her family will be frequent attendees at local model train shows.
Like my dad, hers is very creative. Maybe he recently added an O-scale track around their den, near the ceiling, and now he's starting to work on a large layout he's been daydreaming about for years. Meanwhile, Keira likes to look for cars to add to her dream train. Each model is pretty expensive, so she takes note of any pieces she's interested in and saves up until she has enough to get the one she wants most. Someday when she has a place of her own, she wants to have her train running along her own den! For now, she likes to display her train in her bedroom. She also has an O-scale theater that lights up (^_~).
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Keira's favorite holiday is Christmas. During Christmastime, her dad adds Keira's train to the den track and adds a Polar Express set to her mom's Christmas village. Keira's extended family includes other train lovers, and when they come over to celebrate the holidays, her aunts, uncles, and cousins love to watch all of the trains make their way around and through the room.
Looking Forward
I'm really glad I have Keira as part of my collection. She reminds me of happy times with my dad. It'd be fun to make some doll-sized train boxes for her growing collection. Hallmark makes some really nice mini train ornaments, so I'm set there! My dad is half of the reason I've always loved miniature things (hence the blog name, "Mini Mad"), so Keira's story feels like bringing that full circle.
I hope you all have a safe and happy end to 2023 and that 2024 brings us all peace, health, and much-needed joy. ♥