Mommy's Piggy Tales: 10th Grade

1990-1991

My 10th grade year...let's begin with my 15th birthday, the summer before 10th grade. I was excited to gain the privileges of being older, but at the same time "I was sad to grow up," said my 14 year old self. "I'm almost 15, that's halfway to 30, that's halfway to 60, and that's old! How depressing!"

For my birthday I went to eat at The Olive Garden with my parents and sisters. When we got home I opened my presents (that's my sister Tracy above) - clothes, shoes, books, a pink hand mirror, a bubble necklace (Remember those?!), and a James Dean bag. (I was obsessed with James Dean.)

I also had an icecream cake. By highschool, I wouldn't eat anything with eggs so icecream cake was my birthday treat of choice.

The girl in the red shirt is Debbie. It was such a surprise when she was my sister for the second year in a row. We became great friends and DEVOTED pen pals. I still have a big box of letters from her. (I'd like to locate her and send them to her.) I think we must have written each other every other week for the next 3 years. You can also see here how much I loved Super Summer - my eyes are red from crying on our last day.

This was the second year I attended Super Summer on the campus of Southwest Baptist University. I would attend every summer for the next 4 years. Super Summer was a life-changing experience for me, one I will always look back upon fondly. We stayed in dorms with our youth group friends and were put into families (that's two of my sisters and my "mom" in the middle). We spent a week of bible studies, recreation, family time, skits, and nightly music concerts with a great speaker. Although I was never the type to share what was on my heart in front of everyone, it was invaluable to me, nonetheless. It was also what cemented my desire to find an amazing Christian man to marry (And I did!). It also caused my heart to become set on attending SBU one day. (And I did!)


Cary, Baby James, and Me...he was special in our hearts because when he was a baby, he and his mom (and later dad) came to live with us for awhile (I have no idea if it was 3 weeks or 3 months, but my sisters and I got to babysit him while his mom went to work. We loved that!)

We had a big Thanksgiving that year, which we didn't always have. Most of my Mom's family unexpectedly came from Texas to visit. (Kat, Bud, Sam, Baby James, Johnny, Trina, Leon, Bo, Grandma, Grandpa, and Wynton.) After we ate, we all took a walk on my parents' land. They'd purchased it maybe the year before, and it was only two properties over from our house. It's beautiful and rolling, and we'd always planned to build a house there (but never did because we moved a few years later).


I got my school jacket for Christmas that year. And also a big James Dean poster, among other things. I told you I was obsessed with James Dean. Even when I was in highschool, I'd always wake up sooo early on Christmas - like 4:30 a.m. because I was so excited. I was such a morning person when I was growing up. I was always the first one up to watch Saturday morning cartoons. And on Sunday mornings, I got to go to Casey's with my Dad to get a newspaper and a doughnut.

me, standing on the left

Another fun year of cheerleading. I think I was the most laid-back cheerleader ever. I was not the typical spunky, loud cheerleader doing jumps and cartwheels all over the place. In fact, I would get really embarrassed when we had to yell something by ourselves. There were a few cheers we did that required solos by everyone. Like this: Jenny, are you motivated; are you ready to get hot? I was supposed to say, "I'm hot, won't stop til I reach the top - gonna rock, rock, rock." (and either shake my hips or play air guitar while I said "rock, rock, rock." It might have looked something more like this: Me - "I'm hot..." (then I stop at the sheer horror of my voice projecting above all others, I giggle nervously, and shake my head that I can't do it, and the other girls fill in, "She's hot, won't stop til she reaches the top, gonna rock, rock, rock!").

my sister's signature in my sophomore yearbook

I enjoyed cheerleading for more than cheering at the actual games. I loved getting to stay after school with the girls and decorate the boys' and cheerleaders' lockers before game days. We also got to create really fun run-throughs (like the Imagine one above that we did for Homecoming).


This was the last year I got to cheer for my brother, who graduated this year. Obviously, this was a life-changing year for my entire family, as the next year he moved a few hours away for college.

I played softball this year. I had a lot of fun because all of my very best friends played. (Elizabeth is not in the picture.) I'm 3rd on the top row. We'd have the best time in the dugout, yelling cheers and chants, giggling, and being silly. I played center or right field, and I also got to pitch a few games.

I don't think my coach loved me, though. She thought I was prissy, and she was not prissy. She wasn't alone in this assessment; my 8th grade P.E. coach once said, while we were running laps (I was running in a way to ensure my poof stayed vertical), "I have never seen anyone more worried about her hair."


I probably also didn't make a great impression when I refused to slide in the mud at practice one day. For one, I hated sliding. It hurts! And my hands got all scraped up. Two, she and the older girls, I think, were doing it out of spite. The girls never got to use the good field; the boys did. They weren't using it while it rained one day so went out there. All of the sliding completely messed up the field, and the guys' coach was not happy about it.

Anyway, some of the girls were really getting covered in mud, from head to toe because it was fun. They tried to throw the girls who weren't muddy into the mud, but I would not let them get me.

I should have just felt free to do that, but getting dirty like that wasn't my thing at all. (So yeah, Coach was right, in a way, that I was prissy.) Plus, I thought it was unfair to tear up the guys' field because I probably secretly wanted them to have it. Of course, now that I think about it, it's totally messed up that the boys got it everyday. Just like we didn't cheer for the girls' basketball team. It's like it was 1960, not 1990.

Me and Elizabeth on the last day of 10th grade

Me and Angie, maybe at a school dance - and I know exactly what I would have been wearing - loved my UCLA sweatshirt (actually my brother's) with jean shorts, white socks, and black shoes that tied...Note to my kids: Those are called PAY PHONES.

I didn't turn 16 until the summer after 10th grade. Obviously, this was a big summer for me. I got my driver's license. AND I got my braces off! Yay! It felt really strange at first, like I had horse teeth, but then I loved it. I didn't have a crooked split between my teeth anymore; thanks, Mom and Dad!

Some of my friends threw me a 16th birthday party. They put up signs with balloons on the road to Elizabeth's house that read things like "Hey, Jenny!" and "Happy birthday, Jenny" and "Jenny - Honk Once." They had me sit on a chair (throne) and gave me a sash, crown, flowers, and a bunch of gag gifts. It was all totally corny - just like my friends and I were, so I loved it!

I had the greatest time taking Driver's Ed in a neighboring town with my friends, Missy and Elizabeth. It was a last minute arrangement, just a month or so before my birthday. We had a fun driver's ed teacher, Coach Middleton. We had classwork from 8-2 and driving with our groups from 2-5, each of us driving an hour.

Obviously, Missy, Elizabeth, and I were a group, and the remaining two would sit in the back while the other one drove in the front with Coach. (We even got to drive to Springfield and go out for pizza. And once we even had to change a tire.)

I have to say, I was the best driver out of us three. (But for the record, they were a grade below me and had plenty of time to practice before they got their licenses!) Elizabeth and Missy had a few close calls. One time Missy made a turn at a major intersection in Springfield. She didn't stop turning when she was properly in the lane - she just kept turning up onto the median toward traffic. Coach had to grab the wheel. Elizabeth and I were probably squealing in the back. Another time Elizabeth made a right turn and kept going onto the curb and into a church lawn. I think I laughed for at least 15 minutes. I have great memories of Driver's Ed.

No, that's not the car I received when I turned 16. I didn't get my own car until the end of my junior year. I was in heaven, though, because my Uncle Joe let me (squeals!) drive his convertible the day I got my license. He rode with me from Republic to Pizza Hut in Springfield after my brother's last Legion baseball game.

No, the car I drove when I was 16 looked like this. A 1988 Aerostar mini-van my parents had purchased new a couple of years before. I was grateful they let me drive it at all, but I'm not going to say I felt very cool driving a mini-van at the age of 16. It's probably subconsciously why I refuse to buy a mini-van, to this day. (On a positive note, a lot of people could fit in my car on a night out.) I didn't get to drive it all of the time. I didn't get to drive it to school. I still actually had to ride the bus A LOT when I was 16.

I remember my dad standing in my doorway the morning of the 22nd, just as I was waking up. He said, "Let's go get your license." I was kind of like, "What?!" I didn't know we were going to get it that day, and I felt like I hadn't practiced enough or something. He was confident I could do it. I was relieved I had a woman instructor. I got 85 on the written and 81 on driving. I'm pretty sure I failed or nearly failed parallel parking, and I didn't do very well on straight backing, either.

in my yearbook

The next night, I wanted to take the ol' Aerostar out for a spin. I drove to my friend Lori's house. I promised my parents I would be home by 8:30, but I didn't get home until 9:00 (after it was getting dark, and it was starting to rain). My mom and dad were not happy, and I got an earful.

Ryan and I were driving on that same Elsey rode recently, and he agreed with me. We would be FREAKING out if our 16 year old child was driving on those curvy roads, especially at night and in the rain. However, the reason I thought their scolding was unfair at the time: my brother never had curfews; I felt like they never watched him as closely as they watched my every move. It was an injustice I never got over. :)

My 16th birthday was officially made one of my best days ever, up to this point, by the birthday card given to me by Barry, James, and Marc, 3 cute guys from my brother's Legion Baseball team. I spent many, many days that summer and the summer before, watching my brother play baseball. It was not torture because I LOVED watching my brother plays sports, and like I mentioned: cute guys. My Mom was subtly trying to take a picture of me standing near Marc (who has the red shoes on - that's my cousin Joey in the front, and my aunt Carol to the side). I felt like I had to find a way to work "Marc" into my Piggy Tales since you mentioned it, Cary.

For those of you who were eagerly waiting on the continuation of Jenny's love life story, sorry to disappoint...to avoid a whole lengthy "I liked this boy," and "then there was this boy," I decided that's all I'll say about boys...for now. There's enough material packed into my journals, which I should probably throw away before my daughter learns to read. (That way she'll believe me when I tell her you're not supposed to like boys until you graduate. Or even much later.)

Plus, I haven't figured out how to reduce my Tales...it's already hard enough; there are too many more stories to tell.

I'll close with yet another amaaaazing teenage Jenny quote:


"I'm staying home Halloween night even though [lots of girls asked me to go out with them.] Mom said "no" because there would be too much trouble in town. She can be terribly hard-headed. Why can't I be treated as the woman that I am?!"

Muffin Tin Monday

ABC and 123 Muffin Tin

Mommy's Piggy Tales: 9th Grade

1989-1990

I loved that I was starting highschool. And I ended up having a great freshman year. The friend drama of junior high was gone. I was making more friends and able to be a part of more things. I was old enough now that some of my friends were actually driving, and along with that came more freedom. "Cruising" was one of the main forms of entertainment in my little town. There was a loop through town that the cars would follow from the school to the Dairy Lane. You'd seriously just drive that circle over and over again for fun. The fun part was seeing who else was out that night. If you saw someone you wanted to talk to, you'd hope they would pull into the school or Dairy Lane. Then you'd roll down your windows to say "hi" or even get out and stand next to your cars and talk. When we discovered that the boys we liked were out on a particular night, we'd scream and primp and plot.

A significant part of my 9th grade year was cheering for the boys' basketball team. This included my brother, who was a junior. I loved it. It was really exciting! (That's my brother #23, front right, and that's me standing, farthest right.) We did our Homecoming dance routine to Batdance by Prince.
I was Homecoming Queen candidate from my class. After the ceremony was over, my youngest sister Tracy was crying in the school bathroom. She was in the 2nd grade, and she was really upset that I "lost" (even though I was only a freshman). It was so sweet. Sure, I would have wanted to win, but I was sort of relieved when I didn't because the winner always got a huge, long, open mouth kiss from her basketball player escort. (I still can't belieeeeve they always did this.) All I could think about was how much I didn't want my dad and grandfather, etc. to see a boy kissing me.
I continued on in band, and since I was in the 9th grade now, I moved on from pom pon girl to playing my flute in the marching band. (That's me, on the far left.) I loved going to parades and performing, etc., but it was a lot of hard work. We would have practice for at least 3 hours on Saturdays and often before school, too.

I loved going to a small school. (As quiet as I was, I think I would have vanished in a big school.) I was in every single school club and activity (except FFA!). As much as I loved playing volleyball in junior high, I didn't go on to play in highschool because I think I reached my peak or maybe just didn't want it badly enough. I couldn't serve overhand very accurately - and I was really bad at spiking, too. I don't think I could jump very high. Or maybe I didn't want to mess up my hair.

I was still a decent student - English was my favorite class, as usual. I entered Algebra I, which I didn't understand at all. (I mean, I was getting a B- I think every quarter...so not that bad, but my hopes at being valedictorian were dashed.) Side note: I tried to take Algebra in college two different times (just so I could say I mastered it, not because I had to). Even with multiple tutors, I was in danger of making a D and had to drop it.

I clearly don't have an aptitude for higher level math (Thank goodness for Consumer Math the next year! I never took Geometry or Trig...), and it didn't help matters that the new boy in school was in my Algebra class. It made it hard for me to focus; I had a big crush on him. After awhile, he started to like me, too. He started sending me secret admirer notes on index cards.

Thus, another period of teenage angst began. My parents were mad at me a lot, and my brother and I often fought about it. (This was a different boy than the one he had the encounter with outside the cafeteria.) My family didn't trust this boy because he was new/they didn't know him, his hair was longer than most of the boys, and he had...an earring! :) He also raced motorcross. I liked him for the very reasons they did not.

My dad found out I was cruising Crane with him (and others) one night, and he went ballistic. He was yelling at me, and I was yelling back that I didn't do anything wrong (because I didn't!). I locked myself in my room, and he was so mad at me, he punched a hole in my door with his fist. Before you form any judgment toward my father (he's really a pretty calm, quiet fella), there are things to consider.

I was his first daughter to be out in the "dating world," and really, I was only 14. Despite that I'd never done anything to make them not trust me - and overall I was a good girl, I had a very stubborn, haughty way about me when it came to authority. I'm sure it was infuriating to have a discussion of this sort with me back then. It was BEYOND my comprehension that I shouldn't be allowed to go out whenever and with whomever I chose. AND finally, I know my parents were scared to death that the same thing that happened to them in high school was going to happen to me. That's probably all the explanation that is necessary. I think their own experiences greatly shaped the way they looked at me and feared my decision making. Right or wrong, it was what it was, and we had a lot of head butting this particular year over this particular boy.

We hung out a lot here and there during that year, but he was technically only my "boyfriend" for a short time. (And we only really kissed once.) I was babysitting a couple of kids, and he came over with his friend. It was no big deal, and he didn't stay long. I walked him to his car, and he gave me a pretty short New Year's Eve kiss. Well, one of the kids told their parents, and their parents told my mom and dad's best friends, and they told my parents. So I got in trouble again.

And then another time, I was supposed to go riding around with him and some other friends after a dance. My brother happened to be there, caught wind of it, and forbade me to go. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe I was going to ride with him on his motorcycle. (Ha! It's all becoming clearer. No wonder he didn't want me to go.) I can't remember exactly how he kept me from going (because it doesn't sound like me to obey - he was probably physically going to stop me), but I was sobbing hysterically in the school bathroom. The teacher chaperone knew what was going on, and it was all just so embarrassing.

I mention this story because it was one of the only times I had conflict with my family. There was just no way for them to know entirely what was going on in my head. They didn't know how serious I was about the kind of life I wanted to lead and what I was adamant about abstaining from. I know it was less about them not trusting me and more about them not trusting him. This guy didn't have a great reputation; why should they trust him? I didn't have the respect for my parents' opinion and authority that I should have had. And I was definitely too emotional/silly about the guy - he would behave badly, and I would forgive him each time. It's definitely my prayer that my kids can rise above all of the boy/girl craziness when they get into high school.

In addition to my youth group, I was also in a new group called "Clean Kids for Christ." (See? What were they worried about?) We did activities regularly. I think this church camp retreat (above - me with two of my best friends then and to this day, Missy and Lori) was a CKFC activity.

Elizabeth, Kelly, Isaac, Missy, and Me

We went to Young Christians' Weekend at Silver Dollar City. This was another yearly event, and I always looked forward to it. I loved listening to the cool Christian speakers (like Joe White from Kanakuk), and I just knew they were talking about the things I wanted in my life.


I'm wearing my brother's baseball game in the picture. I LOVED wearing his jacket. Of course, girls always wore their boyfriend's jacket, but I never had a real boyfriend from my school, whose jacket I could wear. (I did, however, wear Michael's jean jacket in junior high and also Matthew's blue and white plain, collared jacket when I was "going" with him. ha!) Anyway, I always thought his jacket "made" my outfit, and I always wore it, even after he graduated.

skating with Clean Kids for Christ

One of my favorite things to wear during this time - a sweatshirt with a turtleneck underneath. That's what I'm wearing up above. I was really into turtlenecks. And of course, tight-rolled jeans.

On a related note, I had written down what I'd gotten for Christmas this year. Here are some of the things: magazines from Tracy, a diary from Cary, perfume from Matt, and from Mom and Dad - 4 sweaters with matching turtlenecks, a peach cardigan (I was really into peach at the time!), an alarm clock, a bunch of books, a China mask, the NKOTB Hangin' Tough VHS tape (yeah!), and a pair of tiny ruby earrings. I also wrote that Mom and Dad didn't buy gifts for each other that year so they could buy more for us.

some of us at a baseball game - this was 9th or 10th grade...Leslie (to my left) was my older best friend that year; we spent a lot of time together my freshman year - and Elizabeth (on my right) is one of my loves of my life, to this day - she and I became friends the year before

I spent most of my time at ballgames. I VERY RARELY missed a game. These were the social events, and they are why I was NOT good at doing my homework.


Notice how I still have my mouth closed in that picture, as with every other picture on this page.

Oh, wait. I let my guard down for a second. Here is one of those pictures I was talking about - one of the few that exist of my braces. This was at my house, when we threw a birthday party for Missy. I'm wearing my puff-painted cheerleading t-shirt.

My friends and I were spending the night together at Lori's. Well, I had a crush on her brother at this point. He wasn't there, but I posed for pictures in his room, wearing his school jacket. I had also written him a letter prior to this, but then I felt embarrassed about it, so I found it in his drawer and destroyed it.

A very big part of my life in highschool was my ROOM. I loved my room. I had the biggest room in the house all to myself. I was so particular about it. My brother always thought it was funny to sneak into my room and slightly rearrange items because I could always find the differences. It was full of my "treasures" and keepsakes, all of the "things" that meant the most to me. Plus, one of the telephones was in the hallway right outside my room, so I could pull the long cord into my room and shut the door.

Here's another shot of my room. I had a lot of stuffed animals, dolls, figurines, music boxes, shells, peace signs, and pictures of boys. The big one up above is Donnie Wahlberg. I loved the New Kids on the Block. So much. I fulfilled my lifelong dream of seeing them in concert 2 years ago. And I'm not ashamed to say it! :) My girlfriends and I would get together to watch the videos over and over again, squealing the whole time during the very inappropriate hip thrusts, etc.

This was my best friend Isaac and me on our last day of 9th grade.

As you can see, my hair was still pretty high. I had written in my diary a story about wanting to leave the Broiler Festival early one night. (That was our big town festival every year in August.) I listed the reasons why I wanted to leave - "Boy A" wasn't there, "Boy B" wasn't paying attention to me, one of my friends was bugging me, and "anyway, my hair was flat." :)

Sorry about my lengthy posts! Linkin' up to Mommy's Piggy Tales.

Muffin Tin Monday: I Saw Red

Did anyone just start singing Warrant?

Our Muffin Tin theme this week: RED.

We've been doing a casual color unit this summer to help Sissy solidify her colors knowledge. She knows her colors for the most part, but she still gets some of them mixed up occasionally.

Red-skinned apples, R is for Red shaped peanut butter and strawberry jelly bread, strawberries, rice pasta with marinara sauce, Jelto (Dash's name for our gelatin-free gel cups we get at Whole Foods) with a cherry on top, and watermelon.

They also drank apple juice from red boxes.

The only problem with an all-red meal - it's a little red-messy.

We're so happy that Winnie, Rush, and Cary could join us for Muffin Tin Monday!

And we all wore red! Of course, Cary's red outfit is cute, and I only own red t-shirts. She said that was where I made the mistake; she would have planned the meal around the outfit.

Little Rush WAS wearing red, too, originally...

but there were some issues during the meal.

And at least I had fancy red shoes to wear.

We planned on doing a red activity with our little visitors, but we ran out of time. I set these red craft supplies out for my 3 a few days later and told them to CREATE.

This is what they came up with.

A few of our "red" books we read.

And I leave you with this - just because looking at it makes me happy.

How about another one?

Linkin' up with Muffin Tin Mom and Gang.

Koolatron Fun Cooler for our car

I mentioned recently that I had the privilege to host a CSN Stores giveaway on my other blog (which is still open!) and to write a review on this blog. Here is my review!

It was really tough, deciding how I wanted to spend my gift credit. I was toying with picking out a steam mop, a grill pan, or this Earth Pan (still researching this product). Ryan and I finally decided on a plug-in cooler for our car. We do a lot of traveling and keeping our food and drinks cold is ALWAYS an issue for us. (We're not McDonald's type people - although I know it would be much easier if we were!) We always stop at hotels last minute on our road trips, and it's a hassle if there isn't a fridge in the room. We are curious to see how the Koolatron Fun Cooler changes this aspect of our lives.

We purchased two different things to go with the cooler, which made the whole purchase more expensive. We decided it was important (for us) to also get the battery saver and adaptor. The battery saver allows you to keep the cooler plugged into the cigarette lighter while the car is turned off. It prevents the car battery from draining if you forget to unplug it. (As forgetful as I am, we knew I'd end up doing this at some point.) Personally, I feel like this is a feature that should be built into the original plug-in, but it's not. The adaptor (which I actually purchased from Amazon because I didn't see it on CSN) allows you to carry the cooler inside and plug it into the wall. (I've tested it out inside - it works.) This will hopefully be our answer for constantly worrying about ice on trips.

We read many reviews of different coolers. There are different sizes and price categories. This particular one is $86.95 on CSN. I looked to see if I could buy it at Wal-Mart, but they didn't appear to carry this particular size. We chose this model because it was the least expensive one we thought we could get away with for our size of family. We also chose it because it would fit comfortably behind the driver's seat, in front of Sissy's car seat. Overall, there seemed to be good reviews for this one. It is a lot of money when regular coolers are so inexpensive - but like I said, we were constantly worrying about our ice melting or having to re-freeze our cooler packs. And we do a lot of traveling so I think it will be worth it to us.

As usual for CSN, we received excellent customer service, and shipping was super speedy. We didn't think, based on what it said, that we would be receiving our package for a week or so. However, it only took a few days. (And Ryan adds that it was very well-packaged.) The same cooler appears to be two dollars cheaper on Target.com and Amazon BUT CSN offers free shipping. Purchasing it from CSN ends up being the best deal.

We tried it out today while we were out running errands. I put our drinks in it while we were driving around and while we were in the library. They stayed cold, even in the 100 degree heat. Now, I'm not sure how long you can leave it in the car turned off before it started to warm up. I know we could throw in a couple of ice packs if we were going to leave something in the hot car for awhile. We'll just have to experiment with it for awhile, and I'll let ya know how it goes. Thank you, CSN!

My $40 CSN giveaway is open until this Sunday night.

The only requirement is to leave a comment about a CSN item that is on your wishlist!

Mommy's Piggy Tales: 8th Grade

8th grade...once again, as I started thinking about this post, it went sort of like this in my head, "Oh, not much happened that year, I'll just write a little paragraph and keep it short this time." Then as I start really thinking about it, everything comes rushing back.

near San Antonio

We took our family vacation the summer before 8th grade to Texas. That was my parents' trip destination of choice any year we were able to travel. Most of my mom's family lived/lives in Texas, we were able to stay with them for free, and we always had a good time. Several of them lived near Houston. My aunt and uncle had a lake in their backyard, and we would also hit up AstroWorld, San Jacinto Monument, and Galveston Beach, among other places.

A summer or two before this, we were all packed and ready to go camping. Mom and Dad were on vacation, and we'd even invited our neighbor Ben, who was my brother's best buddy growing up, to go along. That morning, my parents woke up and said, "Hey, maybe we should go to Texas instead!" They called Ben's parents, told them about the change of plans, and even cleared it for him to go with us. The 5 of us kids packed into the back of our wood-paneled station wagon (sans carseats or seatbelts) for our 10-11 hour adventure. One more kid didn't really cause any discomfort, and Ben was like family, anyway.

My 13th summer, however, we also included San Antonio in our sojourn. My Uncle Wimpy lived/lives there. We visited the the capital at Austin, the River Walk, and the Alamo, etc. We stayed in one of Wimpy's rent houses, which included this neighborhood pool.

That's me with my brother. This leads me to another topic that began when I started junior high. My brother is 2 grades ahead of me. I have mentioned that our school was pretty small; everyone knew each other. In other words, all eyes were on you at any given time...and in my case, especially the eyes of my older brother.

He knew what was going on in the minds and lives of his friends and schoolmates, and he wanted me to stay far away from all of that. Although, I think he was definitely more protective than he needed to be, (I had a pretty clear sense of the life I wanted to lead, and I certainly didn't want to disappoint him or my family, anyway.) I am grateful that he was always looking out for my best interests. There were times he took it way too far. (I'll try to fit in the Florida/security guard story on a later year's post.) My husband loves hearing these stories, though. He loves that my brother was standing in between me and every guy at my school, literally or merely metaphorically - and that the boys actually considered his presence.

Here are a couple of examples: In the 8th grade, I liked this 7th grader named Michael (who did end up becoming my boyfriend for a month or so). I thought he liked me, but I was confused about why he would never ask me to "go" with him. Finally, it came out that he was afraid my brother would pick on him. I wrote in my diary: My brother has gotten all of the 7th graders afraid of him, telling them they better leave me alone.

There are several other examples from later years. Too many to post. Here is one: During my 9th grade year, there was a senior who liked me. I talked to him and enjoyed the attention, and my brother was furious. This guy didn't have the best reputation, and he wasn't someone I should have been dating. I went riding around with him one night (along with 2 of our other friends - we weren't alone). The next day, Matt found out about it. As soon as this guy walked out of the cafeteria, my brother (looking furious) jumped up out of his seat and went after him. It was like in a movie - a hush went over the crowd, and all heads turned to see what was going to happen to this guy who dared mess with Matt's sister. I jumped up and ran after both of them to make sure my brother didn't do anything crazy. He offered a bit of advice to the guy (along the lines of "stay away from Jenny"), but luckily, that was it.

Sometimes I was able to shrug off my brother's overprotective methods, and other times I was horrified and thought I would never forgive him. His friend Daniel (who I thought was hot!) asked me to go to prom the next year. Matt told Mom and Dad they shouldn't let me go, and they listened to him. I was livid.

So...yes, my hair was pretty big in the 8th grade. It wasn't THIS big EVERY day. But this is a pretty good example of my hair at its "finest." This picture is from the night my mom took my sisters and I to watch the ballet performance of Beauty and the Beast in Springfield.

On the friendship front...Lori (above) and I had gotten to be really great friends by this point. I was still friends with Sarah and Deanna, etc., but this was the year the girls in junior high apparently went cuckoo. There was a month or two that I was physically afraid of a few of the girls because they threatened to "beat me up." I remember crying all of the time about it, having to buy a lock for my locker, and sitting in group meetings with the guidance counselor. In my diary, I wrote that one of the girls was dating Isaac, who was my best guy friend. He and I were really close pals all throughout junior high and high school. People would tell her that I was spending too much time with him or whatever. Surely, that couldn't have been the only reason for their torment, but maybe it is what originally triggered it. Funny stuff. Fortunately, since I was relatively a pacifist with no desire to get into a fight (and I still can't believe kids actually got into physical punching fights at school!), everything eventually worked itself out. To this day, I hate conflict, and I hate it when people are mad at each other.

I definitely wasn't perfect in how I handled everything. There are moments that I chose something else over my real friendships and the feelings of those friends. I did desire to "fit in," and there were a few moments I can think of that I treated someone poorly because of that. I am a person who cares deeply about the feelings of others and the actions of myself...so it's tough to look back on.

There are other moments that I wish I could erase, for sure. For instance, to get back at one of the girls, we snuck into her locker and found a poem she had written. It was actually a poem she had written about me, how she missed our friendship - all very private, vulnerable thoughts...and we wrote it on the chalkboard in one of our classes. Everyone saw it, and she was humiliated. No matter how much I thought she deserved it at the time, I feel pretty rotten about doing that.

That's me, standing at the end.

I was in the same activities my 8th grade year - cheerleading, concert band, marching band as a pom pon girl, and volleyball. I was also in student council and FHA. The cheerleaders did our dance routine that year to Another One Bites the Dust. I can still do part of the routine for you. It was great fun riding to the games on the bus. I can't believe they let the cheerleaders sit amongst the players in the back of the bus. There was some "Truth or Dare" going on. I wonder if they let them do that now.


I was still greatly involved in my youth group, and I felt an overwhelming desire to get baptized. (I attended a Baptist church at the time.) I was too embarrassed to walk to the front of the church, though, in front of all my friends and the older, cute boys. I asked God to give me strength to do it, and I also asked Him to understand why I was too self-conscious to make the "walk." (Present day, I have different feelings - with great respect for all ways - about how a church service might be initiated.) I never did get baptized, either, until the year after I graduated high school.

This is kind of funny, but a pretty big part of my junior high years were my walks to the mailbox, especially during summer vacations. We had this really long, hilly, driveway on our 10 acres. I was obsessed with sending and receiving mail. I guess I would have been since there weren't many other forms of communication at this time, and I lived in the country.

Tommy Puitt from Life Goes On...hello, Tyler Benchfield...

I'm sure I would have been crazy about the ripped jeans and the tank...even the hair.

One of my obsessions included writing fan letters. Those who know me will not think this is a big stretch. I am still a little star struck in my old age. I wrote so many letters, though - to anyone I liked in the slightest. I remember writing Jason Bateman, Kirk Cameron, Chad Allen, Tom Cruise, Tommy Puitt, etc. My letters were often rewarded with an autographed photo or a fan club generated response.

This is one of the photographs I got. That's "Brad Carlton" from The Young and the Restless. I was really into that soap opera, plus Days of our Lives. This is a funny story about me and soaps: on Y & R, there was a character named Phillip Chancellor III. Around this time, his character died, and it really upset me. In my diary, I wrote something like: I can't believe he died. I'm taking this harder than I could have imagined. :) A year or so ago, when I was standing in line at a store, I noticed on the cover of one of the soap magazines that Phillip is alive! (He faked his death! ha!) That made me smile.

It wasn't just the fan letters that sent me to the mailbox twice daily. I was also constantly entering sweepstakes, etc. and filling out coupons for "free stuff." My family called me "Jenny _____, Sweepstakes Queen," which rhymes with my last name.

This was probably around the time I got two penpals, as well. One was from Texas, and one was from Pennsylvania. I wrote such long letters back and forth with Jenn and Jamie for many, many years. I recently got back in touch with Jennifer on facebook.

My sister recently mentioned this funny fact on her blog. We would generally not have stamps in the house. All we had to do was put a quarter with the envelope in our mailbox. That is amazing. (I just looked it up; a stamp did, indeed, cost $.25 in 1989.)

The biggest change to me physically, besides the amplification of my hair, was getting braces. When I knew that I was going to be getting them, I looked upon it with dread. I referred to the situation as "the end of my social career." I got my bottom braces on first, which weren't so bad. When it was time to get my top ones, I didn't feel as bad as I thought I might because the boy I had a crush on at the time was dating a girl who had braces. Therefore, I figured it was all good. The reason I don't have a picture of my braces is that I never smiled with my mouth open for the next 2 years. Not without putting my hand over my mouth. I think there is only one picture in existence that shows my braces, and I can't find it.

Oddly enough, I do still have my headgear I had to wear at night. Why was I saving this? I guess I should continue holding onto it. It can be one of those things I throw at my kids one day when they're crying as a teenager that "I don't understand!"

"Oh, yeah? Check out what I had to wear."

Fortunately, I only had to wear it at night. I am the most finicky sleeper ever; everything has to be lined up perfectly, so I have no idea how I got any sleep with that thing in my mouth.

Linking up at Mommy's Piggy Tales!

Mommy's Piggy Tales: 7th Grade

My days as a school-loving, teacher's pet were over.

Junior high was upon me, and the only thing I could think about was: boys.

How I wish I had a do-over.

There were other things going on in my life, of course. I was still playing the flute and piano. I was on the cheerleading squad, which was lots of fun. I was a pom pon girl for the marching band. I also really enjoyed being on the volleyball team. I think I made about 2 weeks of junior high basketball practice before I realized my basketball career was going no further. I did like playing, and I mentioned before that I had adequate enough skills. I just never developed the mind of a player - never had that sense of where I needed to be and when and never had the confidence to take charge. This was kind of a bummer realization.

I got to visit Worlds of Fun in Kansas City for the first time, which was exciting. Our cheerleading sponsor, who my friend Erin's mom, took a few of the cheerleaders (along with some others) for a cheer camp.

The Unicorn Club continued on for a little while in the 7th grade. (My 12th birthday cake had a rainbow and unicorn on it.) We asked a 6th grader, Lori, to join the club. She became one of my best friends and remained so throughout highschool. I sort of hate that we had a "club," and I feel terrible if anyone ever felt left out. I'm sure they could care less about our silly club, but I think about these things, nonetheless.

I went to my first school dance. We had a lip sync contest. 3 of my girlfriends and I performed I Think We're Alone Now. (I loved Tiffany and Debbie Gibson.) I remember "holdin' onto one another's hand" during our "act," and then shimmying down to the floor to "tumble to the ground and then you say..." We also had a freeze dance contest, and I won.

My main boyfriend this year was Brent. We were kind of "on and off" from 6th-8th grade. We had our first kiss in the 7th grade. It was very "planned" (almost like a "1, 2, 3, go!") - behind Galena School. (We had been writing notes in class like this - Him: "Have you thought about it?" Me: "No, have you?" Him: "Yes. Do you want to?" Me: "I don't care.") It wasn't very impressive. (The experience - not him.) One of the times we stopped "going together," one of his friends came up to me at a ballgame and said, "Brent broke up with you." I rolled my eyes and said, "I broke up with him a long time ago."

me and Erin

Our biggest change at home this year included the renovations we made on our house. My mom's brother, Tom, and his wife came to stay with us while Tom, a carpenter, helped Dad build another bathroom at the back of our big living room. Before that, we only had one bathroom for our family of 6 (complete with a bright blue toilet, sink, and tub) - which was fine but maybe not for my brother and dad, amidst 4 women. That was really exciting, getting to pick out new fixtures, carpet, and wallpaper. We also had a shower in our house for the first time.

A big addition to my life was joining the youth group at my new church. My brother had been attending this church with some of his friends. This church would remain a large part of my life until graduation. I loved our youth group leaders, Tim and Marcia, and it was fun to be around the kids in the group.

I was completely enamored with one of the seniors - Russ. I know he just thought I was a kid, which felt tragic to me. He always smiled at me, though, in the hall, called me "Jen" (which no one else did at the time) and also called me "Ugly," which actually made my day. My experiences at my church and youth group honestly weren't all about boys. Sunday School and Sunday Night Church, followed by hanging out at Tim and Marcia's house were great experiences for me, and my faith and relationship with God was an immeasurable part of my life. Thank goodness I had that during this time of angst and self-absorption.

with my youngest sister Tracy on one of the trips we took to St. Louis that year

The rest of 7th grade was full of friend drama and feeling like I was in love with one boy after the next. I'm sure that I cried all of the time and was an emotional wreck.

I think this is best supported by a few excerpts from my diary:

I kind of like junior high. All of my teachers are okay. Everything would be great if it wasn't for my brother and Erin. Everytime I pass Matt in the hall, he scowls at me and says something mean. I guess he's embarrassed that I'm his sister, but I don't know why. And Erin. She's supposed to be one of my best friends, but I often wonder. (Present thoughts: Matt, you have some explaining to do.)

My parents are treating me like a baby. They won't let me stay home alone and at the hotel in St. Louis wouldn't let me leave the room without them. (Uh, I'll tell you who is NOT going to walk around in a St. Louis hotel alone - my 12 year old! Thanks, Mom & Dad.)

I feel awful sometimes. I feel like I'm a total nobody...I made a list of my faults and how to improve them. I think what I need is to stop being so quiet. (At least I had a take-charge attitude!)

My sister Cary, who is 9 years old, acts all like a crybaby lately. I love her, but she's really getting on my nerves. I'm trying to keep my cool about it. (Ha! Sorry, Sister!)

This summer's so boring. Well, not that bad. But I do wish something fun would happen. (Um, yeah, I'm still sort of like that.)

I'm sick of my parents expecting me to get as good of grades as Matt. They don't understand I'm not as smart as him and that I don't care about school. But tell that to them, and they practically ground me. (Oh, why didn't I listen?)

I've had it with boys. I don't like anyone now, and I've decided not to, either. It's too stupid.

I don't think I'm going to trust people anymore. You can be nice to someone, and they can talk behind your back.

Ooo. I'm cringing. I definitely want a do-over.

Muffin Tin Monday: ABC's and 123's

I linked this up a few weeks ago when I didn't realize there were upcoming ABC and 123 themes. I thought I would go ahead and link up again to get everything all in the right spot. Sorry if you already saw this!

As I was getting ready to post this, I noticed that the upcoming Muffin Tin themes in August are ABC's one week and 123's the next...oops. I started to wait on posting this until then, but I had already decided to take a bit of a blogging break at the end of August. So...here's our combination ABC-123 Muffin Tin Meals a few weeks early.

I told them I was going to use their blog names, which didn't really matter to them because they are their nicknames, anyway. Tornado really wanted me to also write "Twister" and "Hurricane." (I told them we'd better stick to one extra word. Momma's got to eat sometime, too!) They had:

applesauce cups with their age spelled out with chocolate chips.

a number cut out of bread - Tornado got a "4" because that is the grade he is going into.

another random number cut out of squash

letter fries (Ian's Alphatots) with mustard and ketchup

Amy's brand alphabet soup

Road's End Organics 123z & Chreese

guacamole with a letter shaped tortilla

Dash wanted his to say, "Dash loves Momma." I don't know about that ornery kid sometimes.

Sissy wanted her extra word to be "Princess."

I used soy cheese and apples & pears for the miniature letters.

More Muffin Tin meals over here!