28...

I'm 28 today. So, in honor of my new role as mother, I present you with 28 of my own childhood memories (in no particular order):

1. I was a very good colorer in elementary school. I specifically remember winning an Easter coloring contest in second grade. Highlight of my year.
2. Julie, Jenny, Denise, & I loved played in the tree house at my Grandma Net's house. We found an old pulley in her shop and attached it to a milk crate and sent goodies up and down all day long.
3. Denise & I shared a room our entire lives. I've never regretted this living arrangement for a second.
4. My friend Jaime and I once walked through a house that was under construction, but far from habitable. As we were walking through we pulled open a door (which did not have a handle) and an alarm went off. We jumped on our bikes and dashed back to her house and hid in the closet. We were convinced that the police were going to come and arrest us for our (rather innocent) misdeed.
5. RBG Flower Show...first place. Loved that flower show.
6. First grade...I thought my teacher was the smartest woman in the world when she taught our class about evaporation using a jar full of water placed on the windowsill and a sharpie to mark the daily decrease. Brilliant.
7. My brother once had a bird named "Snickers". This bird was a bit of a nuisance...I specifically remember it chewing through my lava lamp cord and shorting the entire thing out. And yes, I had a lava lamp.
8. I loved The Babysitter's Club book series as well as The Boxcar Children series.
9. Jenny, Julie, and I used to play Barbie's at their house (Denise wasn't so much into dolls). They had the best Barbie play house ever...I think my Uncle Greg built it for them. I loved that thing...the only bad thing about it was that this multi-story dwelling place had no stairs. I was always puzzled by the lack of stairs, how was Barbie supposed to go from on floor to the next?
10. I never had to pull my card in school....
11. Although, in second grade my streak was almost broken. I think I forgot to have my mom sign something and the punishment for that infraction was to pull one's card. I cried so hard that my teacher let me stand on post instead. Well worth the tears.
12. When my cousins and I stayed the night at my Grandma Net's house she would always make us waffles in the morning with white sauce and syrup. Loved that.
13. It's been well-chronicled on this blog before, but I had a terrible fear of a house fire when I was younger. Those "stop, drop, & roll" exercises in Kindergarten were never taken so seriously.
14. I remember going to McDonald's with G. Sue when I was younger. She would always make us get milk. Always. At the time I hated this, but now I can see that she just wanted to make sure that we ate healthy, which I can appreciate.
15. I loved played Barbies. Denise, however, did not. Once, when she had her friend, Ashley, over one of my Barbie's heads got pulled off. I was devastated.
16. I remember going on walks with my mom in the wagon. When we returned home I remember eating tuna, drinking apple juice, and playing Duplo.
17. I have one very fond memory of my Grandma Ken. Upon arriving at his house, he would always give me a cookie from a certain yellow tupperware container that was in the third drawer down on the left side of the stove. I once told G. Sue about this arrangement, and she said she knew nothing of it. My grandpa must have been pretty sneaky.
18. I also have one very fond memory of my Grandpa Roy. He used to watch me on Wednesday nights while my mom and dad were at church. He would pop popcorn, pour it into old butter tubs and then we would eat it together while watching Wheel of Fortune. I always ate my bowl while laying in his lap over his belly.
19. Denise used to love baseball cards. She would always get a pack of cards for every team, and a binder, for Christmas. One of my greatest joys on Christmas day was helping her organize her baseball binders. Each team was ordered alphabetically by last name, then the teams were placed in the binder in alphabetical order...except for the Dodgers. They were always first.
20. My dad taught me how to boogie board at Carpinteria Beach. I thought this was the best thing in the world.
21. I once got spanked by my mom...and had the audacity to tell her it didn't hurt. Bad idea. I think my dad did the next few spanks and boy did I learn my lesson.
22. I lost my class spelling bee in fifth grade. I got out on the word "aquarium". Boy was I mad about that.
23. I used to love listening to my fifth grade teacher read aloud in class. She read "The Indian and the Cupboard" by Lynne Reid Banks to us after lunch. This was my all-time favorite time of the day.
24. There is a house on Rosedale Highway that has a cursive "L" on the chimney. When I used to drive by that house I remember thinking to myself that I couldn't believe that "Laverne" of "Laverne & Shirley" fame lived in my town. (I know who owns this house, but every time I drive by it I still laugh at my youthful confusion).
25. My dad helped me build my cars for the AWANA grande prix night. I remember making a red one with white trim. I got an award for the best looking car that night...didn't win any races though.
26. My mom used to read to us at night before we went to bed. I distinctly remember her reading Denise and I "There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom". We liked that book.
27. I once rode my bike down the dirt road that I grew up on and got my shoelace tangled in my pedal. Instead of putting down the untangled foot, I panicked and decided that the best way to stop myself was to fall over completely. I definitely stopped, but unfortunately came away with a few scrapes & bruises.
28. My elementary school bus driver was known as "grandpa" and we loved him. We always hated it when he had substitute drivers.

So there you have it, 28 completely random childhood memories. I wonder what Henry will remember about his childhood?