Flashback Friday - Give Her A Day

What can you give to one small girl?

A diamond ring, a baton to twirl?

A pretty pink dress with lots of bows,

or dainty sandals that show her toes.

A walk in the woods, a romp in the park,

a shopping trip from dusk till dark?

A shiny new bike, a kitten for a pet?

No, there's still time for such things, yet...

Give her a day of her very own.

Just one small girl and her Dad alone.

Give her the gift that only you can,

the companionship of her old man.

Games are outgrown and toys decay,

but she'll never forget

if you give her a day.

~author Lisa Tasker

I still remember my 8th birthday.  My mom bought me a brand new velvet dress that was the deepest shade of purple.  It had a lace collar and cuffs and I was given a brand new silver purse to carry.  My Daddy picked me up and brought me to eat at the Mayflower Restaurant, which was fine dining at the time.  We ate, and I used my very best manners, and then he took me to a Piano concert which was being held in the auditorium at the college that I would end up attending 10 years later.  Afterwards he took me to a nightclub, where I sat on top of the baby grand piano, and was sung to by the staff, while I blew out candles on a cake that must have been there waiting for me.  He gifted me a pair of 14k gold bow-shaped earrings, which I still have today.

I felt so special and loved that night.  The whole world rested on my daddy's shoulders.  It was an evening that will always have a special place in my heart. 

This is my wish for my daughter on her 8th birthday...an evening of similar splendor, just her and her daddy. 

Some traditions must simply carry on.

Flashback Friday - The College Years

The Year is 1997

The location - A small, small, small, private college located in the heart of the Midwest

Our Mascot - The Regents.  What the heck is a Regent?  We'll call it a Lion.  That's my roommate Jill in the Lion suit.  She was actually a really good mascot.

That's me.  I was on the dance team.  We danced to "Come on Ride that Train, and Ride it" and other really cool songs!  I'm amazed that I was that tan, in the middle of winter, in the heart of the Midwest.  I'm not that tan now and I live in FL and it's summer. 

Sorry, Momma, for the snow sculpture.  I didn't build it, just took a picture with it.  Some friends erected it (I kill me) outside of the arts center late one snowy evening.  It is art, right?  Love the twigs, in the snow balls....they paid attention to detail.  We posed with it, and then hung out in the arts building early the next morning as the maintenance men scrambled with their riding snow tractors to knock it down.  The sculpture was covered in ice by the time they got to it.  It took them the better part of a half hour to knock it down.  Small town fun.

And then there were my girlfriends, Hilary, Jill (the Lion), Trisha, and me.  We loved to wear shirts that were far too small.  Seriously, what were we thinking?  Anyway, Jill and I lived in the Handicapped Suite that year.  Yeah, I guess we were the most handicapped people living on campus that year, so we scored.  We had an entrance from outside the building directly in to our suite, a handicapped bathroom that had a shower large enough to fit 6 fully clothed people, or 3 kegs...it was huge!  We loved hanging pictures all over the walls, and Xmas lights were the rage.

I loved eating Papa John's pizza and watching Kobe & the Lakers.  Napping and Dancing were my favorite past times.  And, I built friendships that will last a lifetime. 

I was in such a rush to get in and out of college in 4 years.  I couldn't wait to put studying, papers, and classes behind me, and get out in to the real world.  Knowing what I do now, I would have slowed down.  I would have held on to the college days, I would have taken 5 years to graduate, and I would have told the real world to wait.

These were some of the best years of my life.

Sorry about the pics.  My scanner is janky.

Happy Friday, Y'all!