My History Lesson
Jenn tagged me. I think this is what I am supposed to do.50 years ago—I was in the first grade. I could read but my teacher didn’t think I was ready for chapter books. I borrowed them from my seatmate, Mary Love (first and middle name in true Southern style). I walked to and from school almost every day because we only lived three blocks from school and only the kids who lived ten miles out in the country rode the bus. I never rode a bus to school in my life. This is actually a picture of me at age 5 years, but I didn't change much over the next year. I have no idea why I am holding a garden hoe...I am sure that mother wanted to take a picture and I said something like "only if I can hold my hoe."
40 years ago—I was a high school junior. Kinda geeky but I had some very good friends. My high school did not have the “mean girls” that are in movies. Maybe it was because I had grown up with them but the popular girls were very sweet. I was mostly afraid of guys my age. Hadn’t yet figured out how to flirt.
30 years ago---Gene was coaching football. We had great friends, Jane and Greg who liked to jump in the car and take off for a day trip. We traveled all over central Texas. I was teaching a self-contained class of hearing impaired children in the school I had attended and I was pregnant. I could not keep anything on my stomach, I could not eat, I threw up three or four times a day. My friends and family were very understanding. The ultra-sound tech said that I was having a boy. I had dream that I had a red-headed boy. In the delivery room, I had a girl. She was the prettiest baby ever and looked like a girl from the beginning. I played dress up with her for the first year of her life!
20 years ago—I was teaching here at Harding. We were living across the street from the Benson Auditorium. Mother and Daddy took a job in California and since Reagan was having a hard year we left school early to spend a month with them. Gene had just signed on with the Searcy PD. I had no idea how my job would change over the next 20 years.
10 years ago—in the middle of my doctorate. It was a hard but profitable process. I do not regret doing it. I also went overseas to England for the first time. It was so much fun and so great to do it for the first time with Reagan and with Tammie and Vivian. I was hooked. I am totally addicted to overseas travel. I so lucky that I have a job that helps me deal with that addiction.
5 years ago—Reagan and I were at HUG. What a great experience. Kim and Terry treated us like queens. Ted and Marci were perfect faculty to work with and out students were fabulous. I think that Reagan is right in saying that we were in Egypt right now five years ago. I floated down the Nile sitting on a chaise lounge on the top deck of a cruise boat, under a canopy, sipping a Diet Coke while Josh and Jonathan fanned me. Daddy died while we were there but we know that he is now in a much better place.
I have to add that 1 year ago I was in Florence at HUF. It was incredible! Tammie and Vivian came to spend Thanksgiving with me.
Then Gene and Reagan came for the month of December and he finally got to see how fun international travel can be.
posted by BW @ 9:33 AM
3 Comments:
Fun to read your history lesson...even more fun to have been along for some of the ride!! Luv ya
Of course we would come to spend Thanksgiving with you in Italy. That's what friends are for,,,couldn't let you be there alone!
So many other fun times, too! How dull my life would be without you in it!
If only Gene was wearing a red suit in that picture I think he would look similar to the Santa in the above picture. He would be a Western Santa though. And wearing his usual hat, not a Santa hat. ok, maybe he wouldn't look like Santa at all.
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