Here is a picture of little Monica Lee Moerbe, my dad and my older sister, Michelle Marie Moerbe when we lived in Italy. Lately Tom has taken to calling me by my maiden name…. (The long time ago maiden name), Monica Lee Moerbe. Yep, my last name was Moerbe (pronounced Murbee). I hardly even recognize it when he says it. It’s cute when he does it but I am suspicious. It is a running joke in our house that I have had many names and I am terrible with names!

In college I started using Monica Lee when I was planning all our campus activities, I was booking entertainment acts over the phone and my last name always slowed everyone down so much I shortened it. I should have started this in grade school the teacher would always slow down and look up trying to make eye contact with anyone that could help them pronounce the strangely spelled name, Moerbe. Thank God my parents at least gave me an easy yet unique first name! Over the years, I then became Monica Lee Moerbe-Demers. Then just Monica Lee Demers. Then a judge dubbed me Monica Lee but I could not bring myself to do yet another name change at American Airlines and with social security etc. So finally when I met and married Tom I sat on the whole name dilemma all over again. I have always been Monica Lee professionally even as a child I signed all my art Monica Lee but after a long debate with my sweet new husband I did one more name change into Monica Lee-Henell. This gets the most confusing picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy, they think Lee is my first name…and I find myself explaining, “its hyphenated look under L”. Some of the doctor’s can’t get it right because their computer’s don’t take hyphen’s, yikes!…

I think Tom is actually trying to secretly make me crazy (more crazy) by calling me Monica Lee Moerbe, he knows when I go pick up the dry cleaning and they ask me “what’s the name” that I will stand there in confusion. But when I look at this little picture my mom took of her little family, I think what’s in a name? This is my family. The people can call me anything (as long as it nice!)