A Random List Of Things From Way Back When

me, first grade

  

1. When I was in 6th grade, I got a whole cookie jar of Hershey Kisses as a birthday gift from a friend, with a custom cross-stitched Hershey Kiss lid. It felt like the biggest jackpot. 

2. We used to live down the street from two old, unfenced, informal country road cemeteries. One was more visible and obvious, on a grassy hill. The other was smaller, tucked further back, and among old, tall trees. We used to go to them regularly and play among the tombstones.

3. I learned about New Kids on the Block from Becca Stock when we were Volunteens at Boone Hospital the summer before 7th grade. She was already obsessed and brought me into the fold quite reality. That summer as a Volunteen has a whole set of memories that are coming up as I type this... the break room, the cafeteria, the candy cart, the gift shop, teen magazines, deciding to be locker partners for the next year... there was a whole FEEL to it that is washing over me as I remember.

4. For a while, we had a "library" in our house. A whole room dedicated to bookshelves and books. We were in a pretty humble home, living a pretty humble life, so it always felt so FANCY to have a DEDICATED LIBRARY. I'm not sure how long we kept the room that way, but it couldn't have been long, since there were lots of us and we could use the room for an actual bedroom. Funny-- my parents are back to having a library room again, all these years later. 

5. I got a little toy gumball machine as a birthday gift when I was somewhere between 7-10 years old. It was a bank, so you had to put coins in to get the gumballs, and I was charmed by this for the first little while. But I was an impatient and greedy little girl, and I tired of the "rules" (and probably ran out of coins?) and I wanted MORE GUM, so when no one was looking, I threw the thing onto the ground out in my backyard to break it open. It worked, and for a split second I felt victorious... but almost immediately felt profound remorse and shame at the act. I don't even remember gathering the gumballs up... I just remember how it felt to regret such a dumb decision. 

6. My first grade teacher was Carol Crego, and she was a total gem of a woman. She was close to grandma-age when she taught me, and she had grown children and three cats. She was the most lovable human to all her little students. So it made complete sense to me during summer break, when it was almost my birthday, to invite her to my birthday party. She politely declined-- I'm sure she knew it would a little weird to be the one grownup guest among a bunch of 6-year-old kids-- but she got permission from my parents to take me to McDonalds for lunch on a different day to celebrate my birthday, and she brought me a small teddy bear wearing a yellow rubber crown who I named Mrs. Crego. Such a special thing for her to do for the student that lovingly, innocently invited her to a child's birthday party. 

7. One time when I was somewhere between the ages of 10-12, I accidentally broke a glass thermometer and when I was cleaning the mess up, I was able to "capture" and save the ball of mercury. I was FASCINATED and put the glob of it on a handheld mirror I had and played with the mercury for hours--- splitting it, watching it bead back together, skittering across the mirror, stopped only by the plastic edges of the frame of the mirror.  I think I finally lost it when I tilted the mirror too far and it slid all the way off and under my bed somewhere among the dust bunnies. 

8. I was art rivals with Chris Dietz in 3rd grade. We both wanted to be the best draw-er in class and we competed endlessly with each other. I learned to draw Garfield during this rivalry as one way to try to best him. He and I also entered more than one poster contest that year in our quest to prove our superiority to each other. I couldn't tell you, ultimately, who was better. Probably it was a tie. 

9. Hello to Elise, the best kids sister, who somehow still  keeps up with blogs and has NOTICED that I'm blogging again. WOW! 

me, third grade