20 years ago I was just like the girl in 13 Going on 30. Big hair, braces, jelly bracelets and all. Although, I never had my best friend make me a dream house with magic glitter dust. Anyway, I was finishing 7th grade (omigod) and loved wearing anything that made me look more like my idol, Molly Ringwald. I wasn't very pleasant to be around unless you were one of my friends, I blame that on the hormones, and I wall-papered my bedroom with Vogue magazine covers (and a few Soloflex ads as well, even though we didn't own a home gym). Songs on my iPod, er cassette player, included artists like Wham!, Madonna, Beastie Boys, Depeche Mode, New Order, Erasure and Book of Love. Long live the eighties!!
10 years ago I was pregnant with our first son and didn't know it. I was finishing up school at CWU, living alone in a studio apartment no bigger than a shoebox and having a great summer. I had been feeling kinda achy and strange, but you know what, I was 23 and hadn't a clue. I found out in about a week from now (ten years ago) and then the planning commenced. My Mom and I worked our tails off and pulled together a beautiful wedding all in 3 months. So, instead of getting married in the Spring (after graduation and having a little time out in the "real world") my husband and I became parents! Songs on our iPod, er cd player, included artists like Pearl Jam, The Dave Matthews Band, Lenny Kravitz, Jane's Addiction and Tori Amos.
5 years ago I was Mommy to two busy boys, who were 2 and 4. It really is all a blur...oh, maybe not. My Husband was just finishing up his 10-week training at the Washington State Fire Training Academy and he was joining the ranks of full-time Firefighter brothers all over the world. Time was flying by and we spent our summer camping, swimming and going to the park. I spent a lot of time chasing boys (mine) and trying to get a tan, only to find out that my legs will not accept suntan of any form unless it comes from a bottle labeled "self tanner". Humph! Music on our iPod, I mean cd player (still), included David Gray, Norah Jones, The Dave Matthews Band, Alison Krauss and Union Station and Sarah McLachlan; mellow music to help the stressed-out Mommy CHILL. 
3 years ago I was about 5 months pregnant with our (we were about to find out the gender) daughter. I was sick all the time, tired and smells of all kinds drove me crazy, especially cinnamon. Other than that, I felt good (although my friends and family will tell you that I was a lunatic, I don't remember-pregnancy amnesia). Our boys were 6 and 4 and having a ball doing all of the things that boys do, playing in the woods, riding bikes, tattling on eachother, playing dinosaurs and laughing because their preggo mom couldn't chase them like she used to! Music on our iPod (sorry, don't have one yet) included The Black Eyed Peas, Jimmy Buffet, AC/DC and The Dave Matthews Band (once a fan, always a fan). I was also slinging coffee at our little local coffee shop and enjoying the people watching on my Husband's days off.
1 year ago I was having a garage sale and still trying to get to know my neighbors. Since buying this house (our 2nd) and moving (only 2 miles from our 1st house) we came to the stark realization that this neighborhood is not all it was cracked up to be. Yes, we have more room and the kids have a playset that all of their friends envy, but the neighbor-bonding will probably never happen. We live on a hill. People in our parts keep to themselves when they live on hills. It is weird. In our old neighborhood, we knew everybody and could let our guard down a little when the kids were outside, we communicated with our neighbors daily and someone was always looking out for the kids if you had to run in and change your baby's diaper or answer the phone. Here, I feel like the freaks-next-door because my kids are the only ones even outside. Oh, that and the fact that I do not homeschool have isolated me from beginning any lasting friendships with these folks! At least we have that playset...which I have to chase raccoons off each night! Oh, and I still don't have an iPod and only listen to The Dave Matthews Band, or something obnoxious of my 8 year-old sons to drive my new neighbors nuts! Just kiddin'.
Yesterday I looked away from the stove for a millisecond and the potato cheddar soup I was making for dinner bubbled over and made a huge mess! Dinner was still yummy, in spite of the looming stove cleaning that awaited me in the evening!
Today I will take my parents to the airport shuttle drop-off and kiss them goodbye as they head off to Massachusettes for vacation near Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod. I can't wait to hear about their travels when they get back in 10 days...sniff! We will take good care of the dog, cat, fish and flowers while they're away.
Tomorrow I will buy a new fish to replace the one that died in my sons aquarium following a power outage we had about a month ago and I will do laundry, just like any other day! I will also join myself in a little sing-a-long to my new favorite radio station that plays ONLY fun music like "Doin' the Butt", "The Humpty Dance", "My Perogative" (Bobby Brown NOT Britney Spears) , "We Are Family" and that "S.O.S." song that I can't remember...
Okay, if you made it this far, I tag you Linda (Why Do These Kids Keep Calling Me Mom), Kristin (Eva Las Vegas) and Gen (Going to China and Bringing Back More Than a T-Shirt)!
13 comments:
you dirty dog!!!
How is it that your musical tastes get better through the years while mine are still stuck in that "twenty years ago" place? No fair.
LMAO!!! You could have just described my 80s experience. ;)
And your neighbors can go take a flying leap; if they can't recognize nice people when they see 'em, it's their bad, def. not yours.
Your parents picked a good week to come out to Mass. It has finally stopped raining! Hurrah!
Thanks for making me glad that I don't live on a hill.
btw, love, love, LOVE DMB. I once sat in the 14th row at Foxboro Stadium to see them. I had to quit my job to get the night off, but it was the 14th row for DMB. No brainer in my opinion.
sniff, sniff .... thx 4 bringing it all back to me...
By the way, who has custody of "We Are the World"? If it is here, those boys need a little time travel.
How about cruising to INXS? Billy Idol? Or "Eye of the Tiger" on the Big Island? Oh, that's right. You were PMSing that week.
we WILL miss home... and all of you. wonder if there is internet access where we are going???
I loved this post and all your past references. And I am with Mom 101, my musical tastes haven't evolved quite as nicely as yours.
I wish I had friendlier neighbours too. We just moved a year ago and I have yet to really connect with anyone
Doin' the Butt! You ROCK, sister!
Thanks for the tag... let's see if I can remember 20 years ago...
Totally get the blah neighborhood thing. We love our house, but didn't find out 'til we moved in that everyone is retired. NO kids. Boo-hoo. Our little guys won't have nearby friends.
WHAM, ah, that takes me back!
Love, love, love DMB. Got very lucky one summer and went to two concerts in different states. Both concerts were AWESOME.
Yay! You did the meme!
I don't have an iPod yet either so we can be technologically challenged with our old-school CD players together!
Sorry your neighborhood sucks. The last one you had sounded great. Any chance you might move back?
i love this meme. oh and i loved wham too!!!
That was a great meme. We are the same age! And wow. I can't imagine what it was like to be 23 and pregnant. I would not have handled that as well as you have!
It's nice to know that there is someone out there who also has the strange medical phenomenon known as "white lower leg syndrome". Apparently, symptoms include a love of great music, which we seem to also share!
Okay! I have WHAM songs on my iPod! Cool!
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