Twenty Years Ago

Twenty years ago I had big hair and wore blue eye shadow.  My naturally curly hair came in handy in a day when the spiral perm was all the rage.

Twenty years ago our telephone receivers had long curly cords attached to their ends and I think the one in my family's kitchen even had a rotary dial.

Twenty years ago computers were bulky boxes with tiny screens.  And our assignments were saved to floppy disks.  I didn't know a soul who owned a cell phone; our hand-written notes--that we wrote during class--were the equivalent of today's text messages.  There was no such thing as Google or Facebook.

Twenty years ago my dad rode the city bus to work every day so that I could drive the family's red Volkswagon Rabbit to school.

Twenty years ago my friends called me only by my first initial, though it was sometimes lengthened to "Big T" or "T-ra."

Twenty years ago I worked three jobs which included nightly janitorial work and long shifts at Wendy's.  It certainly wasn't a carefree adolescence but it was nevertheless full of countless happy memories.

Twenty years ago I wore a cheer skirt to school most days. (We wore them anytime there was a sporting event to promote.)  We wore nylons underneath.  Nylons!

Twenty years ago I was a part of the Crew of '92 and we graduated from high school.  We were a spirited bunch and were proud to be Mighty Ike Cadets.  Our school was officially named Eisenhower High School but it was rarely called Eisenhower and never EHS.  We went to Ike. 

Twenty years ago I had the best friends a girl could ask for.  Last weekend we had a class reunion where we talked for hours on end and it still wasn't enough.

Left to Right: Angie, Me, Amy, Alison and Jennie

I made a high school scrapbook several years after graduation.  I devoted certain sections to each of my best friends.  Heather and Chad couldn't make it to our reunion this year but a reminiscent post such as this would not be complete without paying tribute to them.  (How convenient that they just happened to be on the same scrapbook page.)  They'll always be dear to my heart.

Our reunion included a tour of our old stomping grounds.  It's scheduled for demolition next summer.  I'm so glad my kids got to see it before the new school takes its place.

Dwight D. Eisenhower High School

Twenty years ago my signature looked like this:

Twenty years ago I cheered a lot of games and led pep assemblies in this gym:

Caleb loved looking at the banners of our rival schools.

The fight song

Twenty years ago I did a lot of back handsprings on this floor.  I'm too old to do them anymore, so Alyssa did a few for me.

Twenty years ago that Cadet Cafe behind us did not exist even though Caleb thought it was SO cool.  But that Ike seal?  Oh yeah, that was definitely there and no one dared to step on it.

Twenty years ago these were our lockers.  Jennie reminded me that we got two, one for our cheer gear and one for our school supplies.

Me with Aaron.  What a good buddy and friend of the family.

Twenty years from now, these will still be my friends.  They're the kind you keep forever.

Best Birthday Ever!

I couldn't have dreamed up a better way for Caleb to celebrate his fourteenth birthday and it was a most spectacular way to end our family reunion.

The Helena Brewers provided the perfect party.  The kids got autographs from some of the players while our all-you-can eat burgers and hot dogs were grilling.  The BBQ buffet included chips, potato salad, watermelon and all the fixings.

Shortly after he arrived, Caleb was informed that he would be delivering the game's first pitch.  Just imagine his excitement!  Dad bought him a Brewer's hat for the occasion.

He was a little disappointed that he threw the pitch a bit high, but he loved the honor of throwing it.  Can you find the ball in this photo?

He even tipped his hat to the crowd.  Like he's a big name player thanking them for their support, or something.

We had this whole picnic area, located behind first base, all to ourselves.  His cousins met him with high fives.

All you can drink soda and popcorn and ice cream in a helmet.  Are you kidding me?

Caleb and two cousins also got to go out on the field for a mid-inning promotion.  The boys had to run with these huge tools.  Seth's speedy legs won him the race.

The kids had so much fun together.

Getting to keep the foul balls was exciting.  Having one of them shatter the Johnson's windshield was not.

Just when we thought the surprises where over, the Brewers presented Caleb with this cracked bat from one of the games.

We were positively stuffed but what's a birthday party without a cake?

Seventh inning stretch...Caleb does the dance move that has been dubbed "The Seth."

Only people who really like each other choose to stand this close:

As we walked into the house after such a fun night, Cousin Ansel remarked, "This was the best day of my life."  Yeah, it was that fun.  See what I mean?  Best birthday ever.  What a way to turn fourteen!

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

Mt. Helena

The living room's picture window provides a perfect view of Mt. Helena and the trailhead to the top is a mere two and a half miles from the Hatch family home. It's a hike most of us have done many times, but this was our first time climbing the mountain together.

Here's our little family at the top:

It's not an easy hike.  But it's absolutely beautiful and the views are fabulous!

Since we all hike at different paces, we started in waves so that we'd end up on top close to the same time.

The kids did great!  Caleb and Seth were especially speedy but even Henry and Sadie were great little hikers.

Here's Grandpa looking toward his home where he's lived for over 40 years:

A view of The Sleeping Giant (start on the right and follow the horizon to the left.  Can you see him?):

I ran down the hill with the little boys; Ian, Sam and Owen.  They wanted to stay ahead of me but I ran down after them not wanting them to get lost.  I did make a wrong turn at one point and we ended up going down a trail so steep that it sent all four of us sliding onto our rear ends.  In the end, we were the first ones back to the cars.  That down hill run left me with incredibly sore thighs but it was just so much fun.

When we got back to the car, I wanted to get a bit more of a workout so I decided to run to the Staggering Ox, which was where the family was meeting for lunch.  (It is, by the way, the BEST sandwich place EVER!)

My little hiking buddies (my three, super fun, super cool nephews) decided they wanted to run with me.  They assured me they could make it and you know what?  They kept up pretty well!  Just look at these red faces:

I loved the hike.  I loved that we did it together.  I loved being with Ian, Sam and Owen.  It was certainly a reunion highlight for me.