Then I started to think about some of my favorite memories from growing up. Here are a few:
1. My aunt Deb was only 12 years older than my brother and I, and used to babysit us alot. She would play this "game" with us, which would bring us to giggles, but if you did this to a kid now, it might be considered torture. She would put one of us in a pillowcase, drag us around the house, up and down stairs, and ask us what room we were in. If we answered wrong, the dragging would continue. It was fun! And back then, teachers didn't question where bruises came from, so no worries.
2. I used to dress up in my grandma's Carol Burnett outfits (chiffon sleeves, pastel colors, 60's dresses), put on pairs of her long gloves, maybe a rain scarf (the plastic kind that tied under your chin), don some orange lipstick, and play fashion show. I looked a little like this.
3. We used to get on our bikes at sunrise, ride all over town, only coming home to eat, and would return just before dark so we could play kick the can. It was such an easy, freedom filled childhood, I feel sorry for kids these days. Not a care in the world.
4. My aunt Donna would take my brother and I to A&W for fries and root beer. There's nothing better than an A&W root beer poured from a tap directly at the restaurant. So good.
5. There used to be a show on NBC in 1987 about these orphan girls called "Rags To Riches". One night, my brother and I were sitting at the counter in the kitchen watching my mom make cookies and the show came on. The orphan girls started singing, "Rockin' Robin", and my mom started to sing and dance along with the tv. It was great! She knew all the words, and boy can my mom sing. My brother and I got the biggest kick out of that. I'll remember that always.
6. My uncle Don used to give all of the kids haircuts when we were toddlers. We would take turns sitting on a high kitchen stool in my grandparents driveway. I think that would be a funny sight to see today, a bunch of kids taking turns sitting on a stool in the driveway, but back then it was a normal thing to do.
7. I used to stay at my cousin Steph's house for sleep-overs, and her mom let us build the most amazing forts, both upstairs in the living room and also in the basement. We're talking rooms, hallways, every blanket, cushion, tv tray and crate in the house was used. We would sleep there also, and tell ghost stories. This would freak Steph's brother Troy out, and he would run upstairs crying and tell his parents we were mean. I guess we were mean. But it was fun.
