How Did I get Here?

The last several months have been rather uneventful outside of Ethan. My life has been as follows: work, family time, school, sleep...repeat. And while it's easy to get sucked into life and let the little things get by, there are 5 things that keep me grounded....and he's all boy.

Of course, I constantly worry that he's going to bite his tongue off one day. Ethan? Please put your tongue back in your mouth before you give me a heart attack, OK? Thank you.

I never thought of myself as a soccer mom...I mean....soccer moms drive mini vans. Why is that I wonder? Before I had E, I had a fantabulous Mustang. Mustangs have magical powers by the way....they make you feel young. Oh wait...I was young. Sorry. That doesn't count. Right before I had him we took the plunge and decided to get a mini van. I must have known that I was going to be a soccer mom. Of course, looking back, I clearly remember bawling when I was turning my keys over. I've decided that moment must have been my rite of passage....crossing over from the young carefree Mikki to the responsible Mikki that has a child.

I love both versions of me for different reasons. The young Mikki moved across the country by herself to experience something new. Well...I say by myself but what I really meant to say is that Mikki and her cat moved across the country. Can we have a side bar for a moment please? Driving 1200 miles with a cat that that has never traveled is enough to put you in a shell shocked fetal position in the corner. I'm not kidding. No, I mean it.....it's enough to give you chest pain.

Sorry, I digress. Anyway....the young carefree Mikki was raised by the strongest person I know. The young carefree Mikki was a very self confident girl that had to hit some road blocks and detours before she found her way.

But the moment I traded in my Mustang for a mini van, I knew it was time to adjust my priorities. Don't get me wrong....I wasn't mourning that change, I was more or less preparing myself for the new path I was about to experience....in a mini van.

And just between me and you.....part of my sobbing hysteria was quasi because of our salesman. Have you ever been around someone that got on your nerves so bad that you would rather listen to nails on a chalk board? Barney Fife was trying to sell us a vehicle. So I admit....Barney Fife and my hormones made it just a little harder to give up my Mustang.

But when I started to get to know the responsible Mikki, I came to realize that I really liked her. I mean....she does have a shining smile and charismatic personality. What? You mean it's not OK to toot your own horn? No? Sorry...I do that sometimes. Seriously though...I always secretly wondered if I was ever going to be able to put someone else first. Was I ready? My mom always told me that I could never understand unconditional love until I had a child. She told me that I would gladly lay down my life for my child. Young carefree Mikki was never able to wrap her head around that. I always thought that there must be some kind of special club for people like that.

But she was right. The very first time that I set eyes on E, I knew I was admitted to the secret club. The responsible Mikki came forward in such an effortless transition that I never even realized it was happening. I like her though. I don't think that responsible Mikki would be half the person she is today if she hadn't first been young carefree Mikki. I don't feel like I missed out on things because I became a mom before I had the chance to live. I did that. I will never have to wonder what it would have been like to stay out all night dancing with my friends.....I will never have to wonder what it was like to sneak into a club with a fake ID. For the record....knowing what I know about that.....I'm not sure how I'm going to adapt and stay sane when E gets that age. I'll never have to wonder what it would be like to go straight to work with no sleep because me and my friends were out all night...being young.

Yes, I can say with certainty that the phases in my life transitioned with such good timing that I got to know myself and I like who I am. I look back on my life have no regrets. I've been the fun loving teenager that thought of nothing but the next football game....I've been the 20 something young woman that maybe drank a little too much sometimes....and didn't always make the best choices. I've been the 25 year old woman that knew it was time to say goodbye to her Mustang in order to start down the path to that of being a mom.

Are there memories that I look back on and cringe? Sure. Are there memories that I look back on and giggle? Absolutely. Are there memories that I wish I could go back and live again? Of course. But I am who I am today because of who I was yesterday...and the day before. Wow...that started out almost sounding like a wise Mikki. It's been an interesting journey but I had a blast getting here.

Oh. My. God. What WERE You Thinking??

Over the last couple of days I have been looking through old pictures. Many of them were so outlandish that I had to scan them and share them with the world...because, that's what people do when they have a passion for any type of photography...right? It led me to a 2-day project of scanning in various pictures from back in the day. Some of the pictures deserve to have their stories told...I mean...well...you'll see.....

Back in the late 80's I discovered the most awesome band ever. I thought nothing of the fact that they wore more makeup and hairspray than I did. Who is the band you ask? As if you have to ask, right? Poison.

Poison was my first ever concert. My cousin Chris took me and my cousin Missy to see them in South Carolina when they were touring with David Lee Roth....and so began my obsession with everything Poison...I will proudly admit that I have seen them in concert 5 times. Although, I'm sure you couldn't just have guessed that by the sheer volume of Poison posters behind me.

My dad (Pop) is an amazing wood worker (is that what they call people that like making things with wood? Wood worker? Wood artist? Wood maker?). He would make me random Poison things. See, dads do that kind of thing. Even though he thought the music was like listening to wounded cats screeching....he humored me.

The picture above makes me giggle now. Back when it was taken, I thought I was the coolest teen in the small town of Hitchcock. It's funny now looking back...as different as I was from the rest of my cowboy boot, MC Hammer Dookie pants wearing friends....it didn't matter. And yes....I did succumb to the Dookie Pant craze...but hey....please don't tell anyone, OK? I mean it.....I really don't want that to get out. People would think I was weird or something.

Around my freshman year of high school I started to morph into more of a girly girl. Well, as much of a girly girl as I could be. I still don't understand the art form called shoes. I moved from a head of "frost" (of which turned florescent green by sheer accident one day by making the intelligent decision to go swimming right after I had it done) to what can only be described as tidal wave hair. Hold that thought...I'd like to discuss my green hair for a bit if you don't mind.

Even as much as I loved Poison (and yes, that was the color of my new hair), I didn't love that I had bright green hair. I'm about to disappoint you for a moment by telling you a little known fact. If you don't like to be disappointed....please skip this next part...OK? No? Well don't say I didn't warn you!! Did you know that vinegar does NOT work on everything as you may have thought? I'm here to tell you that I was extremely let down when, after 5 bottles of vinegar, (and smelling like a horrid pickle) that I still had green hair. My green hair slowly faded. That was also about the time that my sister Angie and I had the bright idea that a frosted hair-do would look fantabulous with a "bowl" cut. No, please don't shake your head at me.....I'm serious. I proceeded to let her stick a bowl on my head and make 4 perfectly shaped bowl layers in my head (sorry, I just love making up words...that should be a word..so from this day forward....fantabulous is a word....at least on this blog it is).

We proudly went to display her artistry to my parents and bless their hearts.....they held it together. Of course, the "I'm so sick to my stomach that I'm about to throw up; how COULD you do that to your hair??" look totally gave them away. I have to give them props though...they only did things like make us walk ahead of them at the mall....We laugh about it then but a bowl layer with frosted florescent green hair wasn't exactly the thing back then.

OK back to the tidal wave hair. That was a true art from in and of itself. I mean...you had to get it to perfectly flip back while remaining smooth in the front despite the can of hairspray that you had to use to keep it from moving. I still giggle when I see the one above. Don't you just love how it drops off to the right? It's like a wall or something.

It was so stiff and high that while I was on the dance drill team called the Swingerettes, I had to wear my hat toward the back of my skull. The tidal wave wouldn't give an inch. I'm ashamed to admit (not really, I think it's pretty funny...but work with me here) that I was convinced that my hair style was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Really. I mean it.

Lets move on, shall we? I'd like to discuss the next picture. The helmet head picture. Correction, the tidal wave helmet head picture. Pardon me while I say something to myself....

Self, what WERE you thinking? I mean, really? really?? Come ON. And what's with that inch thick makeup that you allowed to be caked on by a country bumpkin of a hair dresser (the same one that did the helmet tidal wave hair)?

Did you know that the entire day of my Senior pictures....my hair didn't move once. Not once. This is one of the times that I think...of all of the pictures taken throughout school...this one is going to live in my year book forever. People (myself included) will look at this picture, shake their heads and giggle.

Would you like to know something? After that hairtastrophy (get it??) I never went back to a country bumpkin stylist. Ever. Again.

And lets not even get me started on my caterpillar eyebrows.



But you know what? All of these pictures are great memories because they tell a story of a happy teenager. A teenager who's parents let me express myself freely. They didn't understand my obsession with everything Poison, or my weird taste in jackets....but they let me get through that phase on my own. They let each of us express our individual personalities with our clothes, music, and lets not forget....our interior design talents.

Mom and Pop,
I'm not sure how I ended up with such great parents, but thank you. Thank you for letting me be weird. Thank you for letting me figure out on my own that green hair wasn't "the thing". Thank you for making me into the person I am today. A person that doesn't look back on these pictures and hide them in shame....but one that is confident enough in herself that she can laugh at them with fondness as she shares them with the world.

Sincerely,

I Really am Normal Now. Really. Well, Mostly...

See what happens when you visit my blog??? You get random tidbits into my life....things you may or may not have even wanted to know. But now you do.

Lost and Found

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been somewhat on a self imposed sabbatical but today something came to the forefront that I decided it was time to write about. Well, a couple of things triggered it but I'm not sure if we'll cover it all in one day.

Back in high school I had 3 best friends. Josh, Tiffany, and Erica. I'm going to talk about Josh today because you see....Josh and I didn't meet on the best of terms. I'm not sure how we became friends, really. We didn't run in the same crowds. We didn't have the same likes. We didn't see eye to eye on many issues. But we did click.

One day, I believe I was a Junior.....this punk Sophomore walked into the classroom. He informed me that I was in his seat. I remember just looking at him and smirking. I may have made some witty comment but I don't remember. What I do remember was him mumbling under his breath as he walked away "bitch". I found that to be hilarious. I was not the mean type, and I did not pick on him. We went on about our daily lives.

Fast forward a few weeks (maybe months):
I had signed up for drama and was in the play The Outsiders. We had cast just about everyone, but our drama teacher was having a hard time coming up with a lead that could play the character of a "square" and pull it off. Just about that time, I glanced into the hallway and saw Josh walk by. My eyes lit up and I thought (out loud) "oh he's the perfect asshole!!!!!" I'm ashamed to say today that I did go out into the hallway and drag Josh into the classroom (in front of everyone), by his ear....and exclaim to the teacher, "See, doesn't he just look like an asshole?" I do think I remember him calling me a bitch that day too.

And that my friends was the beginning of a long friendship.



Josh was not like my other friends. He didn't like the parties that we went to. He didn't like most of my friends period. He was in the band. He liked video games. He was a self proclaimed computer nerd. We never did figure out why we were such good friends. We just were. We were inseparable. My friends Erica and Tiffany accepted him and they became friends with him too. I would drag him to all of our parties and try and make him like my friends, thinking that maybe he would enjoy high school a little more if he just went to more parties.

Josh hated Hitchcock. He hated most of my guy friends because they tormented him growing up. But he went to the parties because I wanted him to go. I found out years later that he only went for me. People used to whisper about Josh and me. They would pull me aside and ask me what was really going on between us. I would just smile and say nothing. Because that was the truth. I loved Josh like a brother. I saw something in Josh and I think I wanted to fix it.

I saw how unhappy he was and I wanted to make it better. I saw what a good person he was and I wanted everyone else to see it. I saw the good in everyone else, and and I wanted HIM to see the good in everyone else. I just wanted to fix what was wrong between him and Hitchcock.

Yeah, that didn't happen. But, we had fun!

Our senior year was the best. He was drum major and I was in cheer leading.



Then my high school boyfriend happened. He hated Josh. Then Josh's High School girlfriend happened and she hated me. And then he moved away to Austin to go to College.

We lost touch for a while and I felt like a piece of me was missing.

But when we finally did re-connect, we met up at the beach one day and stayed up all night out on the jetty's talking. We managed to get a couple of years squeezed into one full night of just sitting there listening to the waves hit the water and catching up.

We did manage to keep in touch from time to time and every time we spoke it was like we never lost touch. Josh toasted at my first wedding. Of course, who else would do it?

Tiffany and I made a weekend trip up there to see him before I moved away to NC and had the most fun weekend. Thanks Josh.

Josh then met the love of his life and got married. Her name was Amy. We mostly lost touch after that and I didn't make it to the wedding. We talked two or three times after he got married but then I heard through the grape vine that his wife passed away. And I felt like the most horrible friend that ever walked this Earth. I never met her. I wasn't there for him through the sickness. I wasn't there to talk him through it (if he needed it).

I made brief contact with him after wards to tell him how sorry I was but really what could I say? Well we spoke via email today and got more in depth. I can only offer to be there for him now if he will let me in whatever capacity he needs me....an ear....an email....a phone call.....he's traveling the US trying to find peace, and right now, I pray to God that he finds it.

My heart aches for my childhood friend. I pray that he can begin to heal.

How I Got into Photography

When Ethan was about 4 months old, I started talking to a friend of mine that was telling me her love for photography (black and white film to be exact). She used to have a business in NY and missed it.

Well, being a new mom, I was in love with the idea of offering my child up for practice. I agreed to buy all of the film and she'd show up and shoot. (Pardon my head on the below pic, when I was transferring it over, it made it look weird....).

She shot tons and tons of rolls and I fell in love with every one of them.

It was amazing to me how she could capture his eyes in a black and white photo!

This is one of my all time favorites that she took. It won a photo contest too. I had a series of 3 similar ones matted and framed.


As soon as I saw them, I was hooked. Jerry got me my first Minolta Maxxum SLR camera and I've been at it ever since. These were my first attempt at black and white film photography.

Personally, I don't think I did a bad job. Actually, looking at them makes me want to shoot more film.

There is something timeless and elegant about a black and white photo.

Note to self: Self, you need to get back into black and white film photography.

A Dedication Post

Dear Ethan,

It seems like just yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital. You were so tiny but you filled up such a large spot in our hearts.

You were such a good baby and I loved your squeezable cheeks.

You were the reason that I got into photography. I just didn't want to miss a single moment of your life.

You were baptized in Gram's church, and while the church is no longer there, it will be forever in our hearts.

You and your cousin Chas were just like brothers from the very beginning. You loved each other one moment, and the next...you were stealing his binky.

We lived each day thankful that we were blessed with you.

And when you turned one, we couldn't believe how fast the time went.

Our little boy was already discovering that he loved balloons.


You spent a lot of time going to your brother's baseball games.


And you were thrilled with the very first swing that you got.

Your brothers were your hero's, and while you loved to annoy them, they took it with grace...because they love you.

You certainly loved your babies and didn't spend any time without them.

And as you got older, your personality blossomed into one that made us smile every day.

I can't believe you are now five and will be starting school in a couple of months. I hope that one day when you read this....

you will know just how much we love you. I hope that you will never doubt how much we adore you. You are going to go on to do great things and it makes my heart swell just thinking about the wonderful little boy that you have become.

I love you.

Happy Birthday, EE.

Here is one of the video's that I made a few years ago.

An Open Letter to my Younger Self

There is this great song that talks about what this guy would say to himself if he could go back and meet his younger self. Hmmm…That got me to thinking yesterday. I said to myself “self, what would you say if you could meet the younger you?”

A lot.

Because if I were actually able to go back and meet my younger self, I could save myself the trouble of some things that I put myself through.

So without further ado…(and please feel free to skip over it because it’s likely to be long):

Dear Younger Me,

There are going to be some things that go on in your life that I’d like to give you some advice about.

(Pause) If I do this, does it change the future? (Resume)

Try and be a little nicer to our younger brother Barry. As irritated as you get with him, every.. single…day…. when you are 33, you will still feel guilt over how many times you beat him up. Yes, you and he eventually become very close but you will always wonder if he resents you for bullying him.

When you are 8, you are going to bury a letter in the dirt that you wrote to God. When you dig it up, don’t cry…because even though it’s still there, he read it. Just have faith. Oh and while on the subject of God, try not to keep yourself up at night worrying about if you will go to hell or not. That’s way too much burden for an 8 year old to carry around. I have it on good authority that we are tight with God.

When you meet the man that is ultimately going to adopt you and be your dad, try not to give him such a hard time. While his patience is never ending with your foul mouth, he’s going to be there for you no matter what…so you can quit trying to chase him off. Just accept that not all dads bail on you, and this one is a keeper. Trust me. I know these things.

When we you hit junior high, PLEASE oh please don’t frost your hair and then jump into a chlorine pool. Your hair just may just turn bright green. For a long time. And then don’t let your sister put a bowl on your head and give you weird haircut that your mom is going to freak out about. It doesn’t matter if it is early 90’s; green, weird layered hair is not the thing.

When you get your license and go out on your first trip (with Josh and Julie), be careful. You might just hit two cars in one hour. Don’t freak out though because even though your parents told you that they would take your keys if you got in any wrecks, they give them back. Of course, you won’t hit that second car if you just go home after you hit the first one instead of going to the mall.

Don’t cheat in Spanish. You will need that skill later on down the road…it may seem unlikely at the time, but trust me….it’s a useful thing.

When your mom gives you the book “Meditations for People who May Worry too Much”, take the hint and try and relax. You can’t fix the world’s problems and eventually you will figure that out and learn to chill a little. Learn the phrase “it is what it is”. That’ so true.

To my 17 year old self, you do not know everything. You don’t even know a third of what you think you know. Don’t lie to your parents one night and say you are working when you are not. Don’t leave home for a week because you think you are grown. And if you do anyway, accept the month of being grounded with grace. It could have been a lot worse. Because if you don't heed my advice, not only will you have no life for a month, you will miss that very important Mardi Gras parade that you were supposed to be in and you will let everyone down.

Hug your granddad as often as you can. Let him know how much you love and appreciate him for all that he does for you.

Maybe you should try to think before you speak. Social filters are “the thing”, you may want to visit that concept. Not everyone will appreciate your blunt honesty. Sometimes people would rather you lie to them. Try not to wait until you are in your 30’s to figure that one out. It will save you a lot of headache and aggravation.

Your mom is not the enemy. Actually she will end up being your best friend but I think deep down you already know this. She’s been the one constant in your life, your one source of stability and love, and she will be steadfast as you grow into an adult.

If a good friend of yours dies, mourn with your friends but know that it does get easier. You will still remember him every day but eventually it will be with fondness instead of pain.

I also highly advise you to not graduate at mid semester of your senior year. Even though you will return to walk with your class at the end of the year, you miss out on so much. You will miss out on seeing your friends every day and goofing off just for the fun of it. You will miss the last half of a year of being a kid. Don’t try to grow up so fast, you will work full time for the rest of your life. Trust me.

And while you think you want to get into criminal justice…you will just be wasting 3 years of your life with classes that you will never do anything with. How about nursing or something? No, you don’t end up in nursing but it’s a great idea.

If you meet a boy named Steve…just keep on walking. While he is a wonderful person and a great friend…he’s not your soul mate. No matter how much you think he is in the beginning. You will just break his heart in the long run and feel guilty about it for years.

You lose touch with some good friends but maintain close ties with quite a few. You worry a lot about how your life is going to turn out. Don’t….you do just fine. You end up a well rounded, self confident, happily married individual. Your bumps and bruises along the way are worth it, because you learn so much. Learn to accept people for who they are and realize that not everyone can live up to your expectations. But most of all….be happy.

Love,

Older You

Self Absorbed Today

A little birdie (birdy?) told me just the other day that I don't have many pictures of myself on my blog. Of course, because it's my blog, I'm normally the one behind the camera. But last month, in an effort to take pictures of my new hair cut, I took about a trillion pictures of myself. It's always interesting trying to do so and frankly, I almost deleted each and every one....but since we are close, intimate friends....I figured I'd post a few.

This was also one of those moments that Jerry just shook his head and then promptly ignored my obsessive camera behavior. Oh look, that girl in the picture has some good looking nails! Sorry, I was admiring my fingers.

In this one, I look like...well, I'm not sure what I look like....hmmm....holier than thou maybe? Be gone peasants before I squish you with the toe of my boot. Err..or something like that.

There really isn't much to my point tonight. Frankly, I'm just rambling. I do that sometimes. It's an affliction that I have. Rambleitis. Wow! There is a camera hovering over that girls head! How DOES she do that? Sorry, sleep deprivation sometimes causes me to drift in and out of reality.


Please. Please. No autographs today.

And while we are on the subject of rambling. Well, not really but go with me for a moment. Would you like to know what I love about Windows Vista? Automatic spell check! On everything. How did I ever survive without it?

Oh and I'm having a very hard time finding new shoes to wear to work. Mine are falling apart but I refuse to buy any that I have to break in.

And one last thing:

Smile...and the world smiles with you.


Sincerely,


She Who Should Just go to Bed Instead

2008 Revisited

OK so it seems that every year good things and bad things happen. Every year we learn from our mistakes. It is really amazing to sit back and think about everything that has occurred throughout the year and realize that so much has happened.

• My SIL welcomed her son into the world.
• A friend of mine got married.
• My paternal grandmother passed away.
• I spent the entire year in school.
• Jerry had a major job changed that required a huge adjustment.
• Ethan shaved his head.
• A friend of mine got divorced.
• I sprained my ankle and it still hasn't healed.
• Ethan cut his own hair.
  
• My step-sister and I reconnected.
• We marked a year of a friend being gone.
• I discovered Facebook, The Pioneer Woman, and TMZ.
• Ethan shaved a piece of his hair. Again.
  
• The Twilight Movie came out!
• I finally found a hairstyle that I liked.
• Hurricane Ike wreaked havoc on our lives.
  
• I got a new phone...and then promptly dropped the new one in milk.
• I kicked it into gear with my blogging.
• I discovered how much I adore Photoshop.
• I made some new friends, and divorced some others.
  

While some of the things that happened were light hearted, others were significant but all of them shaped me into to who I am today. All in all, this was a good year. My work thrived, my son i s healthy, and lord knows...I'm almost done with school.

What am I looking forward to in 2009? Lots. Mainly getting a break from school before I enter into the MBA program. I gave up setting new year resolutions years ago. I just never keep them. I'm not going to outline what it is I'm looking forward too, I'll just write about it as it unfolds.

Excuse me while I take a break from my deep thoughts to ask Ethan to quit bouncing his ball off the television.

OK, thank you for your patience. As I was saying, I think it will make the new year more interesting if I just share my experiences as they happen instead of trying to predict them. Of course, when I finish school in May, you will likely hear me singing a chorus from the top of a mountain. And when the second Twilight Movie comes out, I'm likely to start doing the Running Man or Rodger Rabbit to celebrate the occasion.

Excuse me one more time while I ask Ethan to please quit trying to give me a heart attack before I'm 34.

Ahem, sorry about that. It's hard to sink deep into myself to share my thoughts as my four year old tries to shave like his daddy does.

I will also strive to break Ethan's fascination with cutting his hair and shaving his head.

While this next part is not a resolution but more of a self improvement goal, I will give you a glimpse. Once I'm done with school in May, I am going to devote much wanted time to improving my photography skill.

So my five readers, I hope you took something valuable from 2008 and apply it to 2009. For those of you that had a bad year, I hope 2009 shines for you. Kiss your kids and tell them how much you love them. Tell your loved ones how much you value their presence. Forgive someone. Learn something new. Kick one bad habit. Embrace your weird quirks. Dance with your young ones and act silly. Reconnect with an old friend. Hold hands with your spouse. And thank God every day for the extra day you have on this earth.

Here's to the new year and a new beginning.

High School Memory Book

Let's take a walk down memory lane for a few moments, shall we? I was in our storage room today looking for something when I ran across my high school memory book. Then I thought to myself "Self, you should share this with all of your close and intimate friends on your blog."


It's pretty thick, isn't it?


I knew in Junior High that I was going to have a memory book, so I started saving odd and ends in a box to add to the memory book when I finally got it. We moved around a lot when I was a child, so once we settled in Hitchcock, it became vital that I create memories.


Hitchcock High was a wonderful time in my life. I began friendships that are still intact today.

I heart this picture. It's my dad and sister Angie. Pop was cooking chili. Whoa, he was about my age when this picture was taken.


My house was the neighborhood hang out. I had all kinds of friends. Even Italian exchange student friends as seen in the middle of the pic.


ACK! I often wonder what I was thinking. I used to wear my bangs in a wave with a gallon of Aqua Net. Oh and doesn't that mini pony tail just complete the ensemble?

Growing up, we had the horrible chore of alternating kitchen duty. I had kitchen duty every third night. We had no dishwashers. No, we had to slave on the dishes by hand. We also had to walk a mile, up hill, in a blizzard, with no shoes, to get to to school every day. No lie. I had a hard life.


Lawsy Mercy. Who are these cowgirls? Sigh. Yes, that's me on the left. Tiffany, my best friend, is in the middle. We met the summer of my sophomore year as we participated in the dance squad called the Swingerettes. Man! Look at the eye brows on that girl on the left! Whew! Oh wait, that's me.


See? OK so I only danced for a year, but what a year it was.


I can't even remember where I got this. I think it was something that we got for the Friday pep rally's. Yes, I kept it. It's folded up neatly in my memory book.


I took many random pics through out my tenure in high school. Two of my friends on this page are no longer with us.


Ahhh...remember the Friday game ribbons? I kept them!


I also swapped tons of small sized photos of my friends. Yes, many of the pictures are of the same person as we got older. Oh and I have some Italian money!


These two mature men made the biggest impact on me. The man on the left (Mr. Wright), was probably the biggest influence on me as I went through school. He introduced me to literature that was way ahead of our time as high school students. That mature man on the right (Mr. Parker), was my Government/Economics teacher. That slave driver made us learn every single country in the world. Not that I could recite them today. They were friendly rivals because they knew they were the smartest men in the school.


This is what I did in Spanish class on my book covers.


Oh look, another Friday ribbon.


Some good friends and I went and had our pictures done. Josh was my best male friend. He was not in our circle and detested my other friends but I still dragged him along every where I went.


Yes, that's my brother Barry on the lower right.


Here is another picture of me and Josh. This was senior year at a pep rally. By then I was in cheer leading and he was the drum major for the band.


This was Senior Night (also Homecoming); one or both of our parents escorted all of us that were participating in either sports, cheer leading, dance, or band. Pop was escorting me down the field before the game. I love my dad.

Don't you dare say a word. Yes, this is one of my senior pictures. I made the mistake of going to some country salon to get my hair done before pictures and this is what the lady came up with. Do you know that my hair did not move in 30 mile-an-hour wind? This was also during my country cowgirl phase. Oh to do this year over again. That's called Country Helmet Hair.


So now you have had a glimpse at my memory book. It was fun looking back at how horrible my hair was...and seeing how much my friends and I have changed over the years. It's hard to believe that I graduated so long ago. It seems like just yesterday. Well, maybe the day before but I can't believe it has been so long.