Remembering

I like to remember.

I was just looking at some of my photo albums from several years back. It amazes me how long ago it seems, yet at the same time it doesn't. I don't really feel any older than I was in those photos. I don't feel different. How can I be graduating next year and going out into the real world, when I still feel the same as I did when I was 16?

My little brother started asking me this week about when I was little. I asked him what he thinks about the 90s, and he told me they were a long time ago before he was born. So I started to tell him stories about when I was little (haha, I'm definitely going to be one of those annoying parents that bores their kids with stories of their childhood), and he was so fascinated. He was fascinated by the fact that we didn't have dvds or cds. And so many other things. I didn't realize how different the 2000's (what exactly is this decade called?) are than the 90s. And I didn't know the 90s were such a long time ago.

I miss the past. I know that sounds cheesy, and honestly I don't think I would ever want go back and repeat it (as if that were possible), but I still miss it. I miss when Pinewood was a small church and we ruled the hall ways during the days before VBS. I miss being in the homeschool co-op when I was a little kid, making planets out of paper mache balloons, or learning about weather as if it were the most fascinating subject ever. I miss playing outside barefoot all day in the summer with my sisters, never knowing the time of day unless my mom called us in for lunch or supper. And if we paid attention to the time it was only to make sure we didn't miss an episode of Reading Rainbow or Brady Bunch. I miss going to Goldhead for church picnics, back when the church actually showed up for events like that. Or the Christmas dinners, those were a huge deal at Pinewood. People actually sponsored a table and decorated it, and some actually brought their Christmas china settings. I miss being in choir on Wednesday afternoons, and doing plays like The Best Story Ever, Psalty (classic!), and then as we got older the Donut Man, or Dr. Newhart. I miss being carefree and having friends over on a Friday afternoons after co-op or Sunday afternoons after church. The time to play between church and Pioneer Clubs at 5:30 seemed like an endless amount of time back then. We could play 5 games of Underground in that amount of time! Or how about the ice skating competitions we used to put on in our roller blades in the driveway. Absolutely classic! Ah, those were the days. Summer days going to the lake or pool with friends were the best. We always had goldfish for snacks when we swam, and to this day when I eat cheddar goldfish I can't help but think about those carefree days in the sun. Probably some of the greatest summer days I can remember were spent in Illinois with cousins. Whether it was playing in the corn wagon, putting on plays for the parents in the basement, doing fashion shows, or walking up to Bents-- it can't be beat. There was a time when my grandparents visited us twice a year. We would go on walks, trips to Wal Mart to pick out a new toy, visit museums and historical places around the area. And I never thought I would say this, but I miss being homeschooled! That's something that just can't be beat. It wasn't easy at all, it was just special. I would never have told you that at the time, but I look back very thankfully on it. I just miss being a kid!

The neat thing is that some day I will have kids, and I hope to give them all the same great memories that I had. I had such a blessed childhood, and I will give that to my kids. I can't wait! Life might seem crazy right now, but it will slow down again with kids. Life does go in circles.

Ok, well there you have it, my sentimental, cheesy, and nostalgic side. You can laugh if you want, but remembering is awesome.