On a happier note....

Somewhere on a blog one time I saw a contest to write a sort of essay about your childhood that was in the form of, well, I'll just have to show you...I thought it was the coolest thing...and it makes me get so excited to wonder what my kids' stories would be like...here is mine:

My childhood was....
gingerbread cookies on rainy days
having the neighborhood pool where everyone would gather
popcicles from the garage freezer
tents in the basement
recording myself singing
the goonies
sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags
the little wooden chair my dad made
laying upside down in the backseat with my best friend on the way to Purdue
my dog's stinky doghouse in the garage
skinny dipping at night in our pool
bleaching my jeans in the washing machine-on purpose cause it looked cool
layering my socks-hot pink and lime green
the smell of my dad's workbench-wood shavings, oil cans, used paintbrushes
sitting in the garage and watching the rain, talking about grandma in heaven bowling
throwing up in my dad's car and him trying to catch it
using the wrong dishsoap in the dishwasher and watching it foam with bubbles on the kitchen floor
hooking up the laundry baskets with belts and pulling my stuffed animals in the train
pound puppies dancing to jon bon jovi
the shed that smelled like the lawn mower
making make believe salads with the berries from the bushes around the house
the cute boy across the street that rode a motorcycle
gathering with the neighbors to watch the neighbor boy do breakdancing
swimming in the hotel pool with Julia
dinner at the westport inn
breakfast with dad when my sister would eat apple butter straight
wondering if the smurfs might someday walk into my house
taking a picture of my mom with my first camera when she stepped out of the shower and getting in lots of trouble for it
crosswords with my stepmom on the pullout couch
pretending to workout on the soloflex
walk like an egyptian
a crush on the boy from the wonderyears
fireflies
the cricket box my dad made me...we always fed them Doritos's and a little sponge w/ water in it
my new bedroom in the basement
coca cola classics from dad's frig-in a purdue koozie
buttons all over my jean jacket
creek fried potatoes at 'the rendezvous'
laying in the tanning bed with my mom and thinking it was normal
watching 'cheers' with my dad laying on the floor because I couldn't sleep
grandpa opening the trunk so we could each pick out a can of pringles and a gatorade for the purdue football game...
my first kiss-a boy with oreos in the corner of his mouth
my best friend bringing my training bra to the playground and showing it...chasing her and never catching her-no wonder-she is now a marathon runner
walking through the KFC drive through with her
my 4th grade teacher's bad breath
being made to wear the same outfit two days in a row-hating it
crossing the invisible line down the bed I shared with my sister-and loving how mad she got
the treehouse dad built-it was solid
flying down the hill on a piece of wood with four little wheels
dad stringing christmas lights on the big fir tree by the driveway
my friends fighting over who got to play with me each day
thinking the big house in the neighborhood was a mansion
dad trying to teach me to know the names of the different kinds of trees
sleeping in sponge curlers
cabbage patch dolls
digging the christmas decorations out-they seemed new every year but never were



I could go on and on...