back in time

I don't know if this happens to all parents or not, but every time my kids go back to school, I am flooded with memories from when I was the same age, entering those same grades. This year, it has affected me even more than it has in the past... I think because Emmalie will be starting middle school, and I can remember my time in jr. high like it was yesterday!

I've been as nervous about the first day of school as Em has been! It's not even that I'm nervous for her, really, it's just that my memories of starting 7th grade are so strong that I keep having flashbacks of all my own pre-teen nervousness.... I remember worrying about making it to all of my classes in time and working the lock on my locker (with only 3 minutes between classes), having to get used to all my teachers and all the kids I didn't know yet, wondering how hard the work would be, and more. I know that Em is nervous about all those same things right now!

Since it's been on my mind so much lately, I thought I'd get out some old pictures and reminisce here on my blog a bit. Nick will be starting 4th grade tomorrow, so here is my 4th grade picture:
I attended Crawford Elementary in Ames, IA... half a block from my house... and my teacher was Mrs. Callison. It was a small school, just one class per grade, so I knew all the kids in my class really well, and got along with them all for the most part, too. My best friends in 4th grade were Heidi, Lisa, and Inger. (Both Lisa and Inger were new to our class that year... Lisa's family moved in next-door to my family, so I saw her ALL the time!) I had a big crush on Greg, a boy in my class.

As a 4th grader, my favorite activities were reading, arts and crafts, riding my banana seat bike, swimming, and climbing the maple tree in our backyard! I also loved watching cartoons, Batman, Gilligan's Island, and Little House on the Prairie.

At that time, my sister Christine was only 4, and in preschool. Mom stayed at home with us while Dad taught at ISU, and I had 3 gold fish named Donald Duck, SuzyQ, and Comet.

And here I am in 7th grade, wearing the ever-fashionable velour cowl-neck shirt, LOL!: I went to Welch Jr. High (Go, Welch Wildcats!), which was about a mile from my house. It was a big change to go from a class of 25 to a class of 200! I liked all of my teachers, but my favorite was Ms. Wilson, who taught English.

My best friends in 7th grade were Tara, Inger, Lisa, and Abby. Lisa, Abby, and I would either walk to school (taking a short cut through the ISU arboretum) or ride bikes there together. Either way, we often stopped at the campustown QuikTrip for a slurpee or candy bar on our way. I had 2 boyfriends that year... first I "went" with Dave (also a 7th grader) for about 2 months. He liked me because I would blush whenever he said hi to me, LOL! I was SO shy around him... I don't know if we ever had a conversation that lasted more than a minute! Later in the year, Andrew asked me to go with him. He was the big brother (a 9th grader!) of my friend Abby, and we were boyfriend and girlfriend for over a year. He would walk me to and from school, and would sometimes take me to Boyd's for an ice cream cone. :)

I was a member of the 7th grade chorus, and also was a Dogpatch citizen in the school musical, Li'l Abner. I still loved art, reading, and climbing trees ~ I often sat in the tree in our backyard to do my homework! My favorite shows at that time were Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Facts of Life, and Three's Company.

By then, Christine was a 2nd grader. Dad still taught at ISU (as he continues to today!) and Mom was a realtor. In September of 1980, the most wonderful kitty in the world, Hobbit, was born! As soon as he was old enough to leave his mother, he became a very special part of our family. :)

(Wow, I can't believe that was almost 30 years ago now. It truly does seem like only yesterday to me! Guess I should get back to the present for a bit, and go check on my own 7th grader, 4th grader, and almost-3-year-old....)