I read this post by Didamo and thought I'd try it on for size. Since I'm a little *cough* older than she is, I added a few additional milestones.

35 years ago

1. I was in Mrs. Walkup's third grade class. Mrs. Walkup strolled the class with a paddle in her hand. If you misbehaved she would ask you to stand up and would give a swat right there at your desk.
2. My youngest brother was born. My grandfather snuck me past the nurse's station at the hospital so I could visit him in my mom's room. In those days the mother/child stayed in the hospital for about a week. My dad took us out to eat every night. We were happy to see mom come home but weren't quite ready to give up that yummy diner food just yet!
3. Mike, Chris, Dean, and Roberta were my best friends. We played baseball and rode the neighborhood on our bikes. We also explored the woods near our house and munched on mulberries from the very large tree. We cashed in glass pop bottles to get money for sodas and candy.
4. I contracted the mumps and thought they would never go away.

30 Years Ago

1. My parents were talking about adopting a girl. My mom had four straight boys and wasn't willing to risk #5. A year later my sister Missy would join our family.
2. I went to "Jim King Basketball Camp" that summer. I spent all of my "refreshment money" the first couple of days and went without treats the rest of the week.
3. I slow danced with a girl for the first time. Her name was Laura.
4. I listened to Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album a million times. Bbbbbb..Bennie and the Jets!
5. I played tuba in the school band and had a special cubbyhole in my room built to fit it. My brothers rejoiced in coming in and blowing on it to wake me up. Sometimes it was a race down the stairs to see if I could whack on them before they reached mom's protective clutches.

25 Years Ago

1. I was a senior in high school. I could dunk a basketball with two hands! I was a skinny 6'4" and 165 lbs. I had moppy hair that ran up to the edge of my coach's tolerance. Once I had a cheerleader cut it with scissors in the bleachers so that I would be allowed to play.
2. I was too shy to ask anyone to the prom, but I took someone home! Her name was Debbie and we necked in my dad's Chevy Capri in the parking lot. She later married one of my classmates.
3. I had a monster crush on Diana but could never begin to do anything about it.
4. I drove a 1966 Dodge pickup...light blue. It had a "slant 6" motor with "three on the tree". Sometimes the clutch would overheat and I would have to start it "in gear". Fun stuff.
5. Mr. Hutchings was my favorite teacher. He taught an advanced math class with four seniors in the class. We had a blast. Penny was in that class and had a crush on me, but I just couldn't go there. Her uncle was my former coach, and I asked her to dance at the prom because he asked me to. I saw her years later at a job fair. She is a junior high math teacher.

20 Years Ago

1. I was finishing college after taking some time off to work. My favorite class was "Voting and Elections" taught by Dr. Darcy. He was charismatic and informative. I was riveted during every class.
2. I was managing and playing on a co-ed softball team. The team was a mix of middle-aged professors and younger students. The philosophy department sponsored the team and our jerseys read "Friends of the Forms". I can't remember why. My competitive nature led me to be somewhat annoyed when my outfielders had beer chugging contests during practice! The worst offender was a professor named John. He was a total party animal! There was also the drama of my female married left-fielder and my single male shortstop having a torrid affair. Our team parties were never dull!
3. I was driving a 1978 Ford Fairmont. Only one of the doors worked properly and it wasn't the driver's door. To get in I had to open the back door, reach through, and open the driver's door. Something was always wrong with that car....piece of junk!
4. I was married but highly attracted to a girl named Linda that I worked with. We made out a little at a party once but thats as far as it went. My conscience got the best of me. But man....was she ever hot!

15 Years Ago

1. I was teaching at Checotah High School in eastern Oklahoma and driving a school bus for extra money. Teaching was a lot easier than driving that damn bus. At least in the classroom I could see what was going on.
2. I had no children. My wife and I had gone through fertility testing. Part of that testing involved sticking a long thing swab up my "pee hole". My God, that hurt so bad. I felt totally faint and was told I was as white as a sheet. The problem turned out to be her blocked fallopian tubes.
3. I had two dogs: Zeus and Apollo, aka "The Lads". They followed me everywhere on the farm. They went fishing with me almost every day during the summer.
4. I was really into gardening. I know its not very "manly" but I especially enjoyed growing miniature roses.
5. PBS was one of the two channels I could receive, so I watched it a lot! "Firing Line", "This Old House", "Tony Brown's Journal", "Nova".

10 Years Ago

1. Patrick was a toddler and getting into everything! He was such a cute baby. I had no idea then of the handicaps that would face him later. He was a delayed in a few areas, but still in the "normal" range.
2. I was a middle school vice principal in his first year as an administrator. I didn't know what the hell I was doing half the time! During the first few weeks of school I had a mom come to school to visit with me about her son who was in trouble. She asked if I could paddle him and I told her we didn't do that anymore. She then asked if SHE could paddle him in my office. I couldn't see why not. Pop! Pop! The next sound I heard was keys in the door as my principal nervously opened the door to see if I had gone crazy and started whacking on someone!
3. I bought my first house (not counting a mobile home). It was a 3 bed/2 bath house in a quiet neighborhood. I spent an enormous amount of time on various remodeling projects!

5 Years Ago

1. I was married to Lee and living in Slidell, Louisiana. We purchased a house in a neighborhood called Lake Village. All the street names were lakes. It was a beautiful house and I liked it better than any house I've ever lived in. Mosquitoes were a constant nuisance and you would see the "mosquito abatement trucks" driving down the street and spraying.
2. I was teaching at Picayune Jr. High School (Mississippi) and coaching boys and girls basketball. One of my colleagues kept bringing me samples of his homemade pickles. He quit teaching and began to sell them full time. Check out his website here. They're really, really good!
3. When I was coaching 8th grade girls I would always follow them to the locker room after the game, talk to them awhile, and leave them to change. After one game I walked in, started talking about the game, and a girl named Amanda pulled her jersey and bra right off. I stopped in the middle of a sentence...speechless. No one said a word, just a collective gasp! It took her a few seconds to realize what she'd done and she was so embarassed!
4. Lee and I enjoyed going to the casinos on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They had the coolest childcare facilities and the kids loved going. Occasionally we'd win enough money to pay for dinner and childcare...aaahh!

4 Years Ago

1. It was our last year living in Louisiana. We began a yearlong process of preparing to move to Washington. Both of us were job-hunting. For a lot of personal reasons it was a difficult and trying year.
2. Lee and Aubree would sit at the table for hours eating boiled crawfish. They would eat until their fingers wrinkled. There would be this huge pile of remains that you had to wrap carefully and throw in the garbage. Rotten crawfish---ugh!
3. We would occasionally take the kids down on the bayou for a picnic lunch. It was a lot of fun watching the baby gators swim around but you always had to wonder...where's mom?

3 Years Ago

1. Our big move year. We took our kids plus a friend, two birds, a 26 ft. Budget Rental truck towing a vehicle, and Lee's van and headed across the country. Our house was closing at 9 a.m. and we were packing all night long. In the end we just couldn't fit everything on the truck. The kids went down the street and gave their bikes away. We gave a bed to a neighbor. We left a trampoline and a lawn mower just sitting there for the pleasure of the new owner. We left town on zero hours sleep and finally stopped when both of us were hallucinating from exhaustion!
2. I didn't have a job in Washington when we arrived. While we were still unpacking I got a call from Oakville asking me to interview for a teaching position. I had the job within a week of our arrival!
3. Lee had to go to New York City for a three week training session that summer. I had a one week training session in town. We flew our babysitter from Louisiana up to Washington to help with the kids. Lisa was a 300 lb. Nicaraguan girl and she was sooo funny! She would eat you out of house and home but was great with the kids.
4. We were jam packed. We moved from a 2400 sq. ft. home to an 1100 sq. ft. apartment. Our son Brynden used the china cabinet for his underwear and socks.

2 Years Ago

1. I was happily ensconced teaching at Oakville. The first few months had been trying, but I had already grown to love the place and those kids. I was still learning how to do the yearbook which gave me great stress. Deadlines!
2. Brynden was beginning high school and Patrick and Aubree were going to school together at a local elementary. We were still living in the apartment and growing tired of apartment life. The best thing about the apartment? The indoor pool and hot tub just across the parking lot. We spent many a night there.
3. I loved going out to Lee's parent's house on the island. Swimming, skiing, walking, and just relaxing. Her parents are such cool people.

1 Year Ago

1. I was happily married with no idea of what was to happen a few short months later. I thought we were just the coolest couple around and so in love. We surprised each other with little gifts and notes. I was optimistic about the future.
2. I was already secretly doing Christmas shoppping. It seems like I start earlier every year.
Have I mentioned before that I love shopping?
3. We lived one block from Patrick and Aubree's school. For the first time they could walk to school instead of riding a bus. I loved that.


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