Throwback Thursday: Then and Now

70s Roller Skating Trip, Spring 2001

Since having one of my college roommates visit last week, I have been thinking about some of the differences in my life since my college days.

Swimming at Heber Springs, not sure year, maybe 2001?

In college, eating a pizza at midnight was no big deal.
Now, late-night pizza would give me heartburn and mean exhaustion the next morning. Instead a bowl of frozen yogurt after putting Jack to bed is more my speed. That and going to sleep by 10pm.

Hanging out with friends, possibly Spring 2001?

In college, going out to eat meant fast food (and a break from the cafeteria). It was cheap and I had no money.
These days, going out to eat means a nice break from cooking and dishes... and it's NEVER fast food.

Spring Sing, Spring 2001

In college I collected all of my favorite music on CDs.
Now I listen to the local 80s and 90s radio station or Pandora. Mostly "classic" rock and lots of kids music as well.

Zurich, Switzerland, Summer 1999

In college, I went to the movies almost every weekend.
Currently watching a movie in a theater is a treat. I think we go twice a year. For one thing it got expensive, but mostly, we haven't really found a babysitter.

San Diego, Spring Break 2000

In college, gas cost between $0.70 and $1.10 a gallon.
These days gas never costs less than $3.00 a gallon.

Caving Trip, Spring 2001

In college my social life revolved around meeting up with friends in the caf or student center and figuring out what to do.
Now, social life is going to the gym and chatting with other moms on the playground. My friends tend to be the parents of Jack's friends.

Club Pledging Week, Fall 2001

In college, I took 18-20 hours every semester and worked as many hours as I could waiting tables at the Dixie Cafe.
After 8+ years working as a full-time graphic designer, I am now a full-time stay-at-home mom. On the side I do some freelance design projects (often late at night or during Jack's naptime).

Above Multnomah Falls, Oregon, Spring Break 2001

In college, I liked to spend weekends hiking, camping, canoeing or caving (anything outdoors).
I still love to do those things but have to plan a little more to accommodate our almost-three-year-old.

Rome, Italy, Summer 1999

In college vacation meant going home for the summer, couch surfing or camping.
Now a vacation means renting a vacation home for a week and enjoying the mountains or the beach with my little family.

Toronto, Ontario, Spring Break 2002

Speaking of vacation, Daniel has been working long hours with very few days off... I think it's about time we took a vacation.

{semi yearly} Visit with College Friends

Every few years or so we manage to get together with a handful of our college friends. With social media being fairly prevalent in recent years, it has been easy to feel like we are connected even if we don't see or speak to each other very often.

This weekend Daniel's roommate from Harding University and his family came for an overnight visit. It was nice to be able to catch up and our kids had a blast playing together.

After eating our fill of chili and letting the kids jump on the bed and have a pillow fight, the kids went to bed while the adults stayed up to visit and enjoy a decadent Pi day Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Pie with a little decaf coffee. 

This morning, after a big breakfast, we took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch playground to run out some of their energy. 

After playing on the massive playground, we came home for more visiting and homemade fajitas.

Another Harding friend (who Daniel has known since childhood) drove over from Nashville with his wife to join us for lunch. 

It is hard to believe that we have all been married for around 10 years or that we all went to school together so long ago. The last 10+years have been a blink of an eye.

Our conversations have shifted from reminiscing about our college days to discussing our current lives – kids, jobs, families, illnesses, etc. I don't know what the future holds or what our future discussions will be, but I hope that we are able to continue to periodically get together. 

It is odd to think that our kids could theoretically be at Harding together some day.

Daniel on the big slide at the Pumpkin Patch

Daniel showing us how to zipline at the Pumpkin Patch.

He may have been a little too big for this :)

Things That Make Me Nostalgic

This past weekend Jack and I joined my brother, my sister and my sisters two kids on a road trip to visit our hometown. There is something about going home that makes me nostalgic. We reminisced about the past, visited old haunts and remembered the good times. 

Here are a few things that reminded me of days gone by:
1. Driving across the Mighty Mississippi and being greeted by the "Welcome to Arkansas" sign. I know that when we see the pyramid, and cross that great river, we are in the final stretch of getting home.

2. Breakfast at Bobby's (now Maddie's Cafe). Unfortunately Bobby's (it will always be Bobby's to me) had a 40-minute wait. With kids in tow we decided to head over to Main Street Cafe instead. I started going to Bobby's in college. It has been my benchmark of what a country breakfast should be. I have had so many intimate conversations in the booths there. It will always hold a special place in my heart. Main Street Cafe is a good back up plan, though we were disappointed that they didn't offer real cream for our coffee. I'm sorry, but powdered cream does not cut it. #firstworldproblems

3. Blackberry Cobbler. My brother requested that we make cobbler during our visit. My mom makes a really great cobber that has a biscuit crust, but Mark specifically wanted the pie crust style cobbler like our Grandma used to make when we were kids. She would always make a little extra crust that we could eat plain or with ice cream once the actual cobbler was finished.

4. Playing in the Lily Pool at Harding University. When I was a child (over 25 years ago), my mom would take me and my siblings to play in the old fountain in front of the Administration Building at Harding. On this trip, we took our kids there to splash in the rebuilt fountain. 

The Lily Pool is also where we would meet (during college) for ring ceremonies – a special time to share your engagement story with your social club. Per tradition, after the ceremony, the engaged couple would be thrown into one of the fountains on campus.

I have so many fond memories associated with this fountain and the university. I made some really great friends during my time here; and more importantly, this is where I met Daniel (on a caving trip no less). The school isn't perfect but overall my experience here was a great one.

5. Swimming at Heber Springs. My family has been going to Heber since I was about 12. I have so many memories of swimming by the dam.

Once we were old enough, we persuaded our parents to let us jump off the (10-15 feet high) cliffs at the Swimming Cliff area. This is a rite of passage for anyone living in this part of Arkansas.

When I was in high school, I got brave enough to jump off the really high cliffs (Tree Top Cliff is approx 20-30 feet high). I can't imagine letting Jack do this, but trying scary things is part of the fun of growing up.

In high school I learned how to water ski at Heber and I have many fond memories of tubing and riding jet skis on this lake.

6. My Dad building sand castles. At Heber, my Dad showed the kids how to make sand castles by dripping wet sand out of his hands. The kids thought this was pretty cool. I remember him doing this when we were little. I have photos from Papua New Guinea of him showing me this technique when I was about Izzy's age.

7. Learning about jobs Grandma had during her life. My Grandma is currently confined to a bed. She is living with my parents, so we all spent time visiting with her and hearing about her life. 

One of her first jobs was raising chickens. She had 200 and collected and sold their eggs every day. During WW2, she had a job inspecting airplanes that were being assembled (think Rosie the Riveter). As she got older she spent many years teaching about sewing, cooking and homemaking through the Extension Club.

She and her husband, Herman, also maintained a huge garden for many years after they retired. From when I was a kid, I remember learning how to shuck corn on her back patio and making ice cream that we all had to take turns cranking with a hand crank for hours. One time she even showed us how to make butter in a very old butter churn that she had.

I am sure there were other bits of memories that were stirred as we visited. These are just a few that stick out to me. 

It is amazing how I forget things, but just a sight, smell or sound can bring those memories flooding back. I am thankful that with a new generation of children in our family, we can share our old memories and also make new ones.