WAAAAAAAY Back Wednesday

I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don’t let your life pass you by.
Weep not for the memories...
~Sarah McLachlan

WOW! I was going through boxes in the garage tonight and found several photo albums that I had made starting in high school through about the age of 21 and then several – SEVERAL – envelopes full of pictures from about 21 through 26. Since I can not believe some of these pictures, I thought I would give y’all a bit of a peek into my life from way back when. It’s hard to believe that high school was so long ago (I graduated 16 years ago this year). So, for the next few weeks I will be doing a Waaaaaaay Back Wednesday, posting photos and stories to go along with them.

This week is my first installment from my freshman and sophomore years. I was a 14 year old freshman for the whole year and it’s interesting to see how much one year changed me in the fact that my looks went from a girl to that of a young woman and thensome. Each week will be, at best 5-6 pics.

See the sweet baby cheeks? Here I am at the very beginning of my freshman year. This was actually taken from the summer right before my freshman year started. Over one summer I went literally from the proverbial ugly ducking (frizzy short hair, glasses and “cutely” chubby) who was teased almost every day for 3 years and went home in tears most days to the beginning of the transformation you will see over the next few weeks. Yes, I was that kid in class. The one that everyone picked on b/c it made them feel better. I started writing then as an outlet to my angst. Of course, my embarrassment – at the time – was when my English teacher would read my short stories out loud to the class b/c she thought they were so good. All it did was earn me more animosity of my peers. Then, that summer I started to lose the weight that I had gained from turning to food to comfort me during a very stressful time when things were really bad with my dad and mom (pretty much the 3 years I was teased grades 6-8). I got contacts, my hair started to grow out and I learned how to put on makeup instead of spackling it on like I did previously. In my freshman year, the last year I was in private school, I was a high school freshman dating a college sophomore. Of course, we met at a church ski trip and he thought I was at least a junior in high school. We dated for about 9 months. He was the one who introduced me to alcohol and cigarettes. Thanks to him I smoked off and on for 14 years. More off than on though. I quit a few months before I got pregnant.



This one was a little later in my freshman year – not the best angle – LOL!


Sophomore year. New school, new friends, totally different social life. The girl in the middle ended up in the hospital with severe injuries after high school from domestic abuse that resulted from the guy she had dated in high school and continued to date afterward. He was a “golden” boy. Hugely popular, handsome, built, football hero and very nice...on the surface. It just goes to show that you don’t know everyone as well as you may think. She never told anyone about the abuse until it went from her body to her face and then later to breaking bones and concussions. It’s one of the reasons I am so passionate about abuse. She was a good friend of mine, even though she was a grade above me. April is Prevent Abuse month so please remember to wear a blue ribbon to show your support for that cause.


This was my first prom. I was dating a senior and thought it was really cool to be able to go! Notice again the big hair (oh, the hair gets better in my junior pictures and not in a good way! It’s all about the Texas big hair!)


This picture is the summer between my sophomore year and junior year on my way to a Baptist camp in New Mexico – one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Just stunning with huge trees, mountains and flowers everywhere. Ok, ok, YES, I had blondish hair. I swam/laid out like 6-8 hours a day during the summers and I put lemon juice in my hair...I can totally attest to the fact that lemon juice with chlorine and sun DO lighten the hair quite a bit. At least I wasn’t getting my blonde from the proverbial bottle – so to speak!


This picture is later that summer, visiting friends of mine in Van Buren, Arkansas that I made at the summer camp. I was just barely 16 at this time. A lot of difference between the first picture and this one huh? So we have gone 2 years in this post. Man! I sure wish I could go back to looking like that. LOL!


Oh, and finally, a little bonus. This is the “award” I was given at the end of the camp – heehee! I won the “man magnet” award b/c apparently a lot of the guys at the camp were asking my friends about me. I thought it was funny b/c I never saw it. I think men, most men, from the time they are old enough to truly notice girls to the time they are “men” and are interested in women do the same thing – look from afar, or from close up, and keep it to themselves, whether from insecurity or something else. If you’re interested, why not ask the woman? Why is it today in this culture that women, a lot of times, end up having to make the first move or show the first interest? What ever happened to men making the first move? A lot of people I know who are in relationships, and extremely happy ones at that, got their relationships started b/c the woman spoke up first. What gives guys/men? Enquiring minds want to know!



Isn’t it funny the things that you see when you pull out old photos? But oh, the times, they are a changin’.

Stay tuned for next week’s installment of Waaaaay Back Wednesday coming to you, well, next week Wednesday!

On a side note, isn’t it interesting the small things that will make your day? I was so thrilled I was able to put my hair up in a clip to get it out of my face. First time in about two years I’ve been able to do that!

UPDATE: HOLY MOTHER OF...! People PLEASE! Sanjaya SUCKS! Get RID of him. It can't just be the tween voting base keeping that musical trainwreck on AI week after stinking week! I haaaaate the VFTW people who are keeping him around. He makes my ears bleeeeeeeeed! Who in their right mind wants to hear that week after week! My fear is that he'll be this year's Nikki McKibben and stick around MUCH longer than he should at the expense of a whole lot more talented contestants. And Phil being in the bottom 3? PUH-LEASE! His rendition of Every Breath You Take sounded almost identical to Sting - seriously, close your eyes and listen. He was one of the better ones last night. Come on y'all, please, please, please...it's time to send Sanjaya home! Do the right thing people.