photo hunt: emotion

Me, 1975

I was hoping to find a screaming Santa photo in my baby book, but I looked pretty indifferent in the photos I found.

But I love the pout in this one!

Check out more photo hunters over here.

photo hunt: bad hair

When I saw the theme this week, I knew what I had to do.

6th grade graduation, 1987

This "bad hair" was with me from 1987-1989 when I finally managed to grow it out. The bad glasses did not help things.

After this experience, I refused to cut layers again for over 10 years.

See more bad hair over here!

timeline: 1998-2007

Finishing the four-part series, I bring you the post-college years up until now. (Catch up here, here and here.)

I am missing a few years because I couldn't find any pictures. I sure take a lot of photos, but I'm never in any of them!

I probably didn't change much between 2001 and 2005, anyway ...

Me with babies Jeter and Posey, in 1998.

On vacation in San Diego, 1999.

12/31/1999 at a New Year's party -- I'm surprised my eyes were open! Also, I'm surprised I'm posting this photo.

I was a classy bride. April 2001.

March 2005: my first 1/2 marathon, and still smiling! Nobody told me my Nike earband was upside down until I was done!

Also 2005, with my hair flat-ironed for a wedding. Unfortunately it was raining so my hair was rebelling.

After the Virginia Beach Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon in September 2006. It was really hot, and shortly after this photo, I ran into the ocean!

At a friend's wedding, July 2007.

There you have it!

I do plan on revisiting my photo history again soon, next time with my husband. I've got photos of us together going back to 1993!

timeline: 1991-1997

In my first two timeline installments, I covered eight years. I'm cutting this one short, to end when I graduated college.

So here you have it, my high school and college years! (High school boyfriends' identities have been blurred for their protection!)

At my sweet sixteen party, 1991. I promise I didn't still have big hair. But a month or two later, the hairdresser that did my hair for then-boyfriend's junior prom thought it was still in style:

I don't think she knew about the big puffy dress that would accompany my big hair!

Winter formal, 1992. Different boyfriend, and non-puffy green velvet dress.

Really, I only dated four guys in high school. They just coincided with different formal events! (The first two lasted about three months each).

This photo from 1993 was my senior year, but my then-boyfriend's junior prom. My hair and dress are better here than for my own senior prom!

Freshman year of college, 1994. Most definitely, there is alcohol in that cup.

1995 -- Here's the temporary hair dye that wasn't so temporary. You can sorta see my light roots. When I came home that summer, my mom paid for me to go to a salon and get it fixed!

I unfortunately don't have any photographic evidence of the pink or purple hair.

Junior year of college, 1996. There is definitely alcohol in that cup.

Halloween party senior year. Or possibly, our 200 Days party -- 200 days until graduation always falls around Halloween.

Senior week, right before graduation in May 1997. I'm wearing a R.E.M concert T-shirt. I cropped out the beer. I wouldn't want you to think I was a lush in college!

Um, no, of course that's not me ... wearing the same shirt as the 1997 photo ...

timeline: 1983-1990

Picking up where I left off last week ...

Third grade class photo, 1983.

1984, cheering for pee wee football.

Easter 1985. It's too bad the photo doesn't pick up the true color of that sweater vest. That was neon yellow!

OK ... here we go to my least favorite stage. I thought I was going to have to void out these years. I think posting embarrassing photos of my house has given me the courage to post embarrassing photos of my young self!

Class photo, 1986. This is where it started going bad. Just the bangs are layered here ... but ...

Ahhh! Then 1987 happened. Really short shorts, and really bad hair. It wasn't my fault, I blame the 80s. I was an impressionable 12-year-old!

1988. I included this photo because the glasses are off, and the hair is wet!

Family vacation to Mammoth Caves in 1988. I was 13, my brother 9. Those jeans are two-tone, gray and blue. I'm sure they are cuffed and rolled. I'm glad I had a bershon example in my photo collection, but my parents still possess the best one.

1989, with newborn cousin. Trying to grow out the layers. I think it took a year and a half! No comment on the outfit. Those are matching pink shorts ...

Much better, 10th grade school photo, 1990. The bangs are still a bit hair-sprayed, but it's a big improvement!

My parents finally let me get contacts, and I got my braces off right before 10th grade started. For me, that was the start of high school, as we were in junior high from 7th-9th.

Too bad it wasn't really a fresh start, everybody knew the old me.

Next week, we will revisit high school and college ... stay tuned!

timeline: 1975 - 1982

Inspired by Aimee's recent trip down memory lane, I've decided it's been quite some time since I've posted any childhood photos.

I've decided to break it down into smaller pieces, though. Ideally, I will post an update each week. Though, I'm a bit shy about sharing my "awkward years" photos. I'll see if I can find something I'm willing to share with the Internet. Otherwise, there may be some holes!

I've posted this one before. Taken shortly after my birth, two months premature and weighing only three pounds nine ounces.

11 months old. I created a game called "P.U." where I would pull an item from my hamper, declare it smelly, and toss it on the floor. This went for clean and dirty clothes. It didn't matter. Hmm ... look familiar?

First birthday. Similar age to the photo above, but I couldn't resist my dad and grandfather's shirts, or my parents' orange and olive green couch.

Two years old, in my parents' backyard.

Four and a half years old, with my new baby brother.

I'm guessing this is somewhere around kindergarten-age, since I still have two front teeth here! My cousin is in the background.

1981, six years old. My mother made that skirt with suspenders.

I'm probably about six here too. (My husband and I laugh at this one since I look like Stephanie Tanner here. I remember at one point she had missing teeth, too. Granted, she probably wasn't born yet when this photo was taken ...)

One of my favorite costumes, Halloween 1982. I am proud to say I have never worn a store-bought costume.

So, there you have it for this week! Stay tuned for more ...

why my childhood vacation memories are a bit hazy

I was inspired to visit my old photo album after reviewing Aimee / Greeblemonkey's recent vacation to the Grand Canyon, among other places.

(Hey, look -- we visited the same tower! Of course, her photos are much better than those taken by me, at 11, with a point-and-shoot camera!)

Anyway, in August 1986 I believe we visited the following places (at least, these are the places I have photo evidence and/or vague memories of visiting):

• Sightseeing in Los Angeles
• Mission San Gabriel, San Gabriel, California
• Universal Studios
• San Diego Zoo
• Sequoia National Park
• Calico Ghost Town (Yermo, CA)
• Hoover Dam
• Bryce Canyon
• Grand Canyon
• Canyon De Chelly
• Four Corners
• Dinosaur National Monument
• Mormon Tabernacle
• Jackson Hole, Wyoming
• Yellowstone National Park

If my photos are in order, this would be the route we took:

I don't have any dates on the photos, but I hope we took at least three weeks to do all that!

Too much for an 11-year-old to process at once?

Photo of Bryce Canyon, also taken by me in 1986. Actually, this one came out pretty good. (The Grand Canyon ones were kind of hazy)

32

March 29, 1975, a tiny baby was born.

She was an Aries, but her baby book says "Star Child of Gemini." The book had been purchased in advance; she was two months premature.

Seventeen inches long, three pounds, nine ounces.

This picture was taken at about two weeks old, still under four pounds. She left the hospital May 1 at four pounds, 15 ounces.

This baby is me.

I'm sure it must have been really scary for my parents. I was their first child. Though, as far as I know, there weren't any major health issues other than that I was so small.

Now that I'm "old," birthdays really aren't that meaningful; they are just another day.

But I am still reminded of how precarious my life began, and how grateful I am that I have always been healthy.

Happy birthday to me!

mid-eighties torture devices

So I recently touched on the subject that I suffered through an awkward stage. I know, not unusual for adolescents.

I blame the majority of my downfall/self-esteem issues for the gigantic, ugly glasses I hid behind for years. Now, I will not be posting the worst of the worst. This is a decent sample photo:

I'm still kind of cute here. This is the summer of 1986, the summer before sixth grade. I was 11.

In sixth grade I decided I needed to cut hideous bangs so I could attempt to feather them. After the bangs came a fully-layered horrible haircut, complete with wings. (I stayed away from layers for a LONG time after growing that out!). I'm not ready to share those with the Internet, yet.

Anyway, back to the glasses. I was inspired to post this photo after viewing a recent post by Zandria, where she sported a pair of very similar glasses!

It got me thinking. Following these glasses, I had several other pairs of equally large frames. I believe I was told I needed large glasses in order to support my coke-bottle thick prescription.

Was it really necessary? Did somebody find it funny to make little, poor-sighted girls balance extremely large specs on their small noses? Was it just the evil style trends of the 80s?

Thank goodness for contact lenses and the thin lenses they can make now! I still don't love wearing glasses, but at least when I have to, they don't cover my entire face!

my first love letter

It was a card with a picture of two dogs on the front. It came from a kid at summer camp, expressing his feelings for me. I was fifteen, and this was the first time a boy had even paid any attention to me.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the type of boy I wanted to pay attention to me. He was kind of quiet, kind of chubby. Work khaki pants and a blue button down shirt a lot. TO SUMMER CAMP.

He was kind of like Milhouse, actually.

Still, I was flattered. I didn't save the card, though. I wish I had, because now, almost seventeen years later, whatever it said would be extremely amusing!

silly me!

I guess I was a touch shy as a child, but I was also a bit goofy.

Little me, at pre-kindergarten graduation with my diploma on my nose.

At a young age (maybe 6 or 7) I remember goofing around with friends, laughing and making silly noises.

I also clearly remember doing something similar around a neighbor who was the same age as me. She looked at me funny, and said, "why are you doing that?"

There wasn't a reason, just to have fun! But that was probably the first time, at least that I can remember, of being self-conscious.

As I moved from childhood into adolescence, the goofiness waned. I became more self-conscious. I was cautious when expressing opinions; careful to go along with the crowd.

I wore (usually ugly) glasses from when I was in fifth grade until I was finally allowed to get contacts at 16. I had braces for two years; those were taken off prior to the start of my sophomore year of high school.

Even though I was no longer in that "awkward" stage for most of high school, I still felt like I was. All the people at school knew the old me, most of them treated me like I was still her.

Going away to college was the best thing for me. I got a fresh start, made new friends, and began to interact and open up more freely. It's also where I met my husband.

On the drive home from my freshman year, my father told me that college turned me weird.

It didn't.

Contrary to popular belief, my husband didn't turn me weird, either.

He just helped me recover my lost goofiness!

thanks for the memories!

We've been together for a long time. You first came to me at Christmastime when I was in sixth grade. That was over 20 years ago!

You helped me through the bad-hair eighties (actually, it was mostly your fault!). You helped me get through junior high dances and high school proms. You came away with me to college, and moved with me into my first house.

But now it's time I let you go. You're probably not safe anymore. I'm sorry. I'll miss you!

So 1986, isn't it?

OK, so I've spent the entire day cleaning and organizing my bathroom, partially because I needed to put away the new hair dryer I got for Christmas. It's been sitting in the living room ever since. But, the bathroom really needed to be cleaned/organized, anyway!

sugar and spice, and everything nice

That's what little girls are made of.

When I was four or five, my family went to the zoo. I had the option to have my photograph taken with either a rabbit or a boa constrictor. My choice.

I'm sorry I don't have a copy of the resulting photograph to share with you, but there is a lovely image of little me with a boa around my shoulders. It has been on display in my parents' home for years.

The photo you see here is the eel I caught while fishing with my grandmother. (I am five years old, wearing a "Mork and Mindy" bathing suit!) My grandparents used to take me camping, and we would fish. In all the times I've gone fishing, I have never caught a fish.

This eel was my first catch. It was a freshwater eel, caught in a lake.

A summer or two later, we were fishing on a pier in the Atlantic Ocean, and I caught another eel. There are no pictures of me holding that guy ... he had nasty teeth! He squirmed, anyway, and broke the line.

Then my goofy cousin tried to re-catch it with his fishing pole (of course, it was still attached to my hook).

I wasn't a tomboy, though. Just not a girly-girl. I guess I just wasn't afraid of things most little girls are afraid of!

who wears short shorts?

Apparently, I did as a child. It's starting to look like I always wore them, actually.

It became apparent when we were at my parents' house over Christmas. They moved last spring, and this was the first time we saw their new house. I guess some of the pictures that have always been hanging up caught my attention again, since they were in different locations.

There were several family vacations documented. In all of them, what I was wearing could hardly be considered shorts. It's a good thing I was under 12 in all of them, but still ...

I've been scouring through the photos I have at home and found an example taken with Minnie and my brother. It's not quite as bad as what's in my parents' kitchen. But still, pretty short. How do you like that snazzy ensemble? It was terry cloth.

I guess I can almost redeem myself by the fact that my brother seems to be wearing a hand-me-down?

It's pretty obvious that my mother let me dress myself for kindergarten in the photo on the left, huh?

turkeyless

When I was eight or nine, we were having Thanksgiving dinner at my grandparents' house. My grandmother would not be serving a turkey that year, instead there would be ham.

I was horrified that there would not be turkey. I'm pretty sure there was A LOT of complaining. How could you have a Thanksgiving without turkey?

To appease the irritated child, we had a non-traditional turkey instead.
See photo: me with ice cream cake, circa 1983 or 1984. I don't know why I was wearing a suit.

Nowadays, I'm a vegetarian, and have been enjoying Tofurky feasts for years!