A Month of Natalie - Memories

Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

New Year’s Eve 1992 my cousin Keenan and I spent the night with my grandmother. Now spending the night with your grandmother might now sound like an amazing new years eve but my grandmother was pretty awesome. I was in the third grade and absolutely in love with Axel Rose. I remember my grandmother said that we could do whatever we wanted that night. I remember that we went out to dinner and my grandparents ordered raw oysters. In exchange for McDonalds the next morning (which in hindsight we probably could have had anyways) both Keenan and I ate a raw oyster. Now, there was more ketchup than oyster, but still, it was gross. After dinner my grandmother gave us our own sodas in little bottles and tucked us into the bed in the guest room where Keenan, Grandma, and I watched MTVs top 100 videos of the year until midnight, when of course, November Rain came on in the top spot. I don’t know why this memory is still so fresh in my mind but I love it.

I loved Axel Rose. 

It wasn’t too long after that when I was sitting my father’s little truck in the drive through at Jack in the Box when my father told me that Grandma wasn’t going to get better, that she would in fact die from her cancer. I just remember thinking that it was so odd that my father was crying. That moment, in the Jack in the Box drive through was the one and only time I have ever seen my dad cry.  My grandmother died just a few days before Easter in 2005 and I really missed out on her when I was growing up but I am thankful for the time I had with her.

My wonderful Grandmother. 

Another fabulous memory I have from my childhood was the week we went to Disney World. Hands down, this was probably the best week of my childhood. I was in sixth grade, and would have told you that I was too old to have a blast at Disney World but all the magical moments the commercials show, yeah they are still that magical even in you are twelve. Anyway, my sister and I were deemed old enough to go down to the hotel pool and swim. We would wear our white, hotel provided robes, and strut our stuff down there. I am sure that it wasn’t a perfect week; I remember freaking out because my sister had my shampoo, and I wore these ridiculous heeled sandals and complained that my feet were going to fall off but it really was a neat week. (Thanks Dana and Brenda for a fabulous week!)

This was the wonderful hotel we stayed at. 

My last significant childhood memory would be the day I met Laura Rowley. I had just moved (for the twentieth time in my short eight years) and when we pulled into the little brown house on Johns Street there were these little girls sitting across the street. One was the little girl that lived there named Jessica, and the other two were sister, Laura and Katie Rowley. Within a week I was best friends with Laura and Brittany, my little sister, was friends with her little sister. Laura and I got into so much trouble and it all started right then and there!  

Still friends twenty years later.