30 Memories From 30 Years

I can hardly believe that I am 30 years old today. That number has seemed so distant to me for so many years, and it has always seemed so old. Today I feel pretty much the same as I did yesterday, my last day in my 20's. : ) So much has happened in these past 30 years! I have so many great memories, and I can only hope to spend my next 30 years making memories just as wonderful. In honor of turning the big 3-0 here are some things that have stuck with me for all of these years...most good memories, but a couple that are not particularly bright and sunny. In no particular order....here goes!

1. I remember the day that I felt Caden (baby #1) move inside my tummy for the very first time. It was more like a flutter, but a movement just the same. We were in a movie with Sam's parents. I loved that feeling.

2. I met Sam at Blue Planet (a nightclub on lower Greenville in Dallas). I was with Shawna. We were meeting a guy that she was dating and his friend (Sam). We walked up to Sam's black Mitsubishi Eclipse. I still remember his smile and exactly what I was wearing.

3. The day that my parents told me that they were getting divorced will forever be etched in my memories. We were in the formal living room of our house in Texarkana. I thought that drawing a picture would make it all better. I remember the print on the couch and the way that the lighting looked. I was six years old.

4. My first day of teaching was a monumental one. I wore a black dress and high heels. I was thrilled, yet terrified. I was teaching third grade at Hill Elementary in Arlington. My first classroom was Sam's classroom when he was in 5th grade. I had turned 23 the month before I started teaching.

5. My 16th birthday was awesome! I was already convinced that I wouldn't be getting a car. My mom had said that we couldn't afford it. Since the car was not happening I told her that I wanted a watch. I spent the morning of my birthday teaching swimming lessons, and then we went back home to celebrate. My mom ordered a pizza and I began opening my gifts. I picked up what was obviously a watch box, opened it, and there inside were the keys to my 1987 champagne colored Ford Escort. I was beyond thrilled. I was jumping and screaming all when the pizza man came to the door. I remember my brother running up the stairs when the pizza man was at the door because he was so embarrassed. My brother and I took a spin around the block by ourselves.

6. The day that I found out that I would be having twins was an unforgettable one. I went to the Dr. by myself for my first ob appointment and early ultrasound. Sam didn't come. It was our 3rd pregnancy, and we both knew that we wouldn't be seeing much more than a little blob on the screen. I can still see the look on the sonographers face when she asked if twins run in my family. What a total shock. I must have appeared that I was going to pass out. The sonographer made me lay there for quite awhile after the sonogram was over. I drove to Sam's work and called him to come out to my car. I showed him the picture of the two little "blobs". The words "hi Daddy we're twins" was typed on the sonogram picture. We sat in silence forever...we were in shock until our sweet girls arrived.

7. When I was 7 I fell in a fountain at Valley View Mall. My mom was getting my brother and I a cookie, and I was trying to steal coins out of the fountain. I reached too far and fell in. I remember being soaked, and my mom was not happy. She had to go into a store and buy me an entire outfit. There are days that I know my 4 are paying me back for things like this! My poor mom!

8. Burying my Pa is a memory that I will have forever. He was my great grandpa, and one of the most loving people that I have ever met. I never remember him being mad at me. He loved unconditionally. I miss him so much.

9. I remember September 11, 2001. I was driving into the teacher's parking lot at Hill. It was my first year to teach. I was listening to 106.1 Kiss FM and I heard Kelly Raspberry say that a plane had struck the World Trade Center in NYC. For some reason I thought she was joking. However when I got into the school I discovered it was not a joke. Throughout the day we had parents picking up their children. By the end of that school day I had less than 5 kids left in my classroom.

10. I delivered all of my children via c-section. With Cade it was an emergency c-section, and the others were scheduled c-sections. I remember the operating room very vividly in each of the births. The sterile white walls, the frigid air, Sam in scrubs, and the sweet cries of my new babies. Such happy times!

11. My first real concert was a George Strait concert at Texas Stadium. My dear friend Brenda took Chels, Charity, and I to the concert. We all wore matching denim jumpers from Old Navy. I think that it was the summer after 9th grade. I remember it was hotter than heck and a TOTAL blast!

12. Sam and I got married on a beautiful day in May over 10 years ago. We were married in the Botanic Gardens in Fort Worth. We had lots of special people there. Chels even flew in from Austin last minute. Mo and Wiss were there which is huge because they hate city traffic. We had a nice brunch at a restaurant in the Botanic Gardens, and Madonna made us a beautiful cake. I vividly remember driving away from the Botanic Gardens in Sam's Eclipse thinking "What now?". I was all of 19 years old, and I really had no clue what it meant to be married. Oh how far we have come!

13. I remember Cade's first day of Kindergarten. He started school at Key where I teach. I saw him walking into the cafeteria with his little lunch box, and I lost it. He seemed so big. I was 8 months pregnant with Carson and an emotional basket case. My whole class of 4th graders watched as I bawled like a baby! It's hard to believe that he will be in 4th grade with me next year!

14. The day that I found out that the twins might have Twin-to-Twin-Transfusion was October 11, 2005 (Carson's 1st b-day). It was also the day that I found out that they were girls. I was so thrilled yet so very scared. I had to wait for a week to go back and get a second check. That week was the slowest week of my entire life. Thank God we got the news that they did not have TTTS at the end of this week!

15. My first kiss was in the front yard of my house on Branch Hollow. I was in 7th grade and Beth and I were playing "Spin the Bottle" with some neighborhood boys. I wound up kissing a guy named Drew Lentz...my very first kiss. My mom found out about our game and called Beth's mom!

16. I remember the first day of 1st grade. I was in a wheel chair because I had been hit by a truck as I was crossing the street only weeks before. I was very lucky that a very broken leg was the only injury that I had.

17. I remember the day that I was baptized at First Baptist Carrollton. I remember the white robe that I wore, the preachers hands, and the warm water. I was in 5th grade.

18. I remember going to church camp in Bridgeport with Chels. I loved it! We wore matching shirts some of the days, and we had such good times singing and worshipping. I am so grateful that she invited me to come with her.

19. The day that Carson got lost at Super Target last fall was a terrifying one. That little guy has a mind of his own, and he just walked away. Sam thought that I had him, and I thought that Sam had him...lesson learned. Target turned off all of the automatic doors, and put employees to guard all of the exits. All the employees were talking on their walkie-talkies about a little boy in blue-jeans and a red shirt that was lost. He was missing for more than 15 terrifying minutes. When one of the Target employees found him he was in the lingerie department sorting through bras! Little stinker! We were scared out of our wits! Sam couldn't hold a conversation for an hour after that!

20. As a child Hostess Cupcakes were one of my favorite treats. I remember eating them in the backseat of my mom's old Monte Carlo. The seats were red vinyl, and I am pretty certain that the air conditioner didn't work!

21. Anyone who knows my mom knows about her love of being at the pool. She had my brother and I in the water when we were only months old. I still vividly remember being at the YMCA in Dallas with my swim cap on. I loved our swims together.

22. I remember when I peed in my pants in second grade. I am not sure why I didn't just go to the restroom, but I can still see the big puddle on the white tile floor. I think that this was the same year that an Arby's employee mistaked me for being a boy. My mom kept my hair cut like a boy's hair because she says that I was a terror when she tried to brush it. So, when I requested a pink balloon at Arby's and the employee promptly said "boys don't like pink" I was traumatized.

23. The sweetness of all 4 of my kids beginning to talk is such a happy memory of mine. Their sweet voices saying new words each day. I didn't record near enough of those sweet voices.

24. The first night that I spent at Chelsi's house is a very happy memory. I thought that she had the perfect family (and she really does)...a sweet mom, a dad that grilled us hamburgers, a nice brother, a baby brother that I got to hold, and a sweet dog (Brandy) that we got to take on a walk.

25. Shawna and I rang in the year1990 together!! We drank sparkling grape juice on the stairs at my townhouse in Carrollton. We thought that we were so big! : )

26. My first true heartbreak was when Chris Kurtz broke up with me. I thought the world of him. I was at Shawna's house when he broke up with me over the phone. I thought that I would never recover.

27. My first trip to Mexico was so much fun. Sam and I went to Hualtulco. We played in the waves, ate at many little quaint places, and soaked up being a new couple. I loved that vacation.

28. My first day as a checker at Minyards. It was my first real job, and I loved scanning things (the fun of the scanner didn't last much longer than the first day). I also remember my first day as a hostess at Tia's, I was excited that I got to have all I could eat free tortillas...not good for the waistline!

29. The day that I graduated from TWU. I was very proud of myself for finishing college. When I found out that I was pregnant with Cade I wasn't sure that I would be able to finish. With the help and support of family (especially Dolly who babysat Cade the whole time) I was able to graduate Magna Cum Lade, an accomplishment that I will always hold dear!

30. The night that Princess Diana died Chels and I were leaving a George Strait concert in San Antonio. We heard it on the radio as we were sitting in the concert traffic. We were both in a state of shock. I remember what the little side street that we were driving on looked like.

So in no particular order there are 30 memories for my big 3-0. Can't wait to blog about my b-day fun that I am going to have this evening. I love all of you who have helped me make memories over the last 30 years!!