In the wise words of Ferris Bueller: “Life moves
pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss
it.”
54 memories on my 54th birthday….in no particular
order
1.
Camping in Acadia National Park in Maine (with
no flashlight) on our honeymoon.
2.
Seeing our daughter for the very first time.
3.
Walking by the ocean at sunrise with the pounding
sound of the waves.
4.
Setting up our family’s pop-up camper in
Peninsula State Park.
5.
2nd grade stamp club with Mrs. Candy
Heart (my favorite teacher).
6.
Singing “Victory in Jesus” at 1st
Baptist with my Dad playing piano.
7.
Playing Barbie Miss America with my neighbor
Lynn, every day, all summer long.
8.
Playing cards and drinking tea with Milt, Dale,
and Kathy in their Wicker Park loft.
9.
Sleepovers at Janet Aarup’s, making an air-tent from
sheets and a box fan.
10. Walking
Michigan Avenue between Columbia College and the Art Institute with Mandy.
11. Waiting
for my mom to bring my sister Julie home for the very first time.
12. Helping
my mom decorate her school classroom at Parkside and Glenwood.
13. Opening
day of our gift and antique shop, Favorite Things.
14. Following
Milt out of a summer party to introduce myself.
15. Long
walks with Beth through Lincoln Park.
16. Current
scones with clotted cream and jam at the 3rd Coast.
17. Singing
in children’s church led by Rich and Cheri Strahm.
18. Staying
up all night on New Year’s Eve with my high school youth group.
19. My
surprise 16th birthday party after a dinner with my family at Yesteryear
in Kankakee.
20. Learning
to make Swedish Pancakes with my grandma, Honey.
21. Winning
a spelling bee in 8th grade, after being the first one out the year
before.
22. Door
County sunsets and Far Away Joe’s pizza on the Ephraim town shore.
23. Shopping
at Marshall Fields with my Mom.
24. Buying
snacks at the canteen at Pine Trail Camp.
25. Catching
lightning bugs in the front yard with my best friend and neighbor Michelle.
26. Walking
to Parkside elementary school, trying to avoid the barking dogs at each fence.
27. Giving
a tour of Moody to Chicago’s Mayor Daley.
28. Meeting
Johnny Cash and shaking his hand.
29. Crying
in Notre Dame cathedral.
30. Eating
sushi and other mysterious items from a food truck in Okinawa, Japan.
31. Walking
and crying through the World War II peace museum in Okinawa.
32. Moving
into my own apartment at Illinois State University.
33. Teaching
my very first college class.
34. Cutting
Milt’s hair, on our honeymoon, and leaving a weird hole on the side off his
head.
35. Driving
up to our Florida home and Nana saying, “Wow, you have a lot of work to do.”
36. Junior
high marching band with Mr. Pitts and lots of Sousa tunes.
37. Antique
shopping at the Covered Bridge festival.
38. Opening
Christmas stockings and playing the Johnny Cash Christmas album.
39. My
first real news reporting assignment at the capital in Springfield, Illinois.
40. Reading
Flannery O’Connor for the first time because of Rosie de Rosset.
41. Evenings
on Culby 2 at Moody, the snack shop crowded with my friends.
42. Researching
my book in the University of Wisconsin Madison library.
43. Attempting
to wait tables at the Summertime in Fish Creek
44. Dancing
with our entire family at Mom and Bob’s wedding.
45. Fishing
with Honey and Papa.
46. Christmas
bingo and molasses cookies at Grandma Storms house.
47. Buying
our dog Buddy after he put his paw up to the glass.
48. Sabrina’s
kindergarten graduation – which dissolved me in tears.
49. Swapping
shirts with Sabrina on an unexpected picture day so she could look presentable.
50. New
Year’s Eve celebrating with Dan, Jill, wearing vintage, of course.
51. Fondue
New Year’s Eve party in our very first house – crowded into the basement.
52. Trick
or treating in Thornton, spending all night going house to house.
53. Looking
out at my family & friends, at LaSalle Street Church during my wedding.
54. Sitting
in my Florida house and feeling overwhelmingly thankful.
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