When I was seven years old, an aunt gave me a gift that has shaped my life. I still have pictures and memories from that day when I opened it.
This gift was a pen-pal kit.
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There are eight of us who have grown up together. We've known them 14 and 12 years respectively. Just recently, my brother and I labeled us The Cohort. Together, we come up with some crazy things.
Back when the oldest of us were in high school, someone came up with the ideas of paint twister and putting in an old microwave all the things you're told never to put in there. Last summer, we finally got around to the microwave party and this summer, we did paint twister. You know the kind of place I'm talking about. It's the restaurant you simply have to eat at each time you visit, or the park that your family has played at for years. Surely everyone has at least one place like this. It's usually the novelty. There's nothing like it at home, so when you're away, you just have to have it.
My aunt and uncle and two cousins live in New York. Since we were all small, we've alternated going out there and them coming here to visit. This was our turn to go out there.
On this particular trip, we did something we meant to do years ago, but vehicle issues prevented us from actually doing it. You'll have to keep reading to find out what that is, although, if you follow me on Instagram, you've seen it in my Stories already :) My brothers and I are a lot older than our three local cousins and I was struck recently at the difference in our growing up. When my brothers and I were little, we played so many games with our imaginations.
You get the idea. We still talk about our "fires" and playing Tornado and "exercising". They are such fun memories. Do kids even do that anymore? I get the irony of me asking that question. I'm not that old myself. But the younger kids I don't see doing much with their imaginations after they are in school. I'm not with my cousins all the time, but even when they were younger, I don't remember them playing house or family or anything like that. At our grandparents house, when my brothers and I were little, they had three willow trees. We would take plastic bags and pull the leaves off as far up as we could reach to "collect food for the winter". I literally don't remember what game we were playing but I remember that. My cousins never did anything like that, at least when we were around. I'm not sure if imagination games are really going away or if I just don't see it in the kids I hang around. You tell me. Also, I'd love to hear about what you did as a kid or what your kids did. It's so fun to hear!! (Let me know if you'd like me to expand on any of the little stories I mentioned in this post today! I'd be happy to oblige :) What's the worst thing your kids have done?
I don't mean behavior, I'm talking about something they did that they didn't know any better and they were just so cute that you found it hard to even be mad at them. My parents tell us this story of the time we "cleaned" my dad's truck. I'm not sure it it counts as the worst thing we did, but it's probably up there. "Don't call your brother Simba."
"Girls can ride bulls too." "Leave the swans in the soup." These are just a few of the phrases on my mom's list of "Things I Thought I'd Never Have To Say As A Mom". This list hangs in our kitchen cupboard and we still to this day like reading through it and remembering the crazy things that prompted her saying these strange phrases. I would imagine that it is fair to say most people don't like change. We are creatures of habit and change shakes up our sense of normalcy. However, some of us deal with it better than others and when I was a child, I did not handle change well at all. There are some things I look back on and think, "wow, you were really silly about that, Sarah".
Another phenomenon that I am guessing doesn't just affect me is the perception of time. Have you ever realized a big milestone was coming up and think, "how has already been that long since such-and-such happened"? Just me? Believe it or not, these two things actually have something in common. Different events stand out in people's minds. The more significant the event, the stronger the memory of where you were, what you were wearing, or who you were with.
I have a slightly odd memory and I don't really know why it has stuck in my head because it's not that significant and it's not even really related to Christmas all that much. It's here! There is a lot of controversy about Halloween. I know families who do not do anything and others who go all out. My family has done a variety of things.
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Hi! I'm Sarah!
I am a natural light portrait photographer. I've been taking photos since 2014 and would eat a smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe for lunch everyday if I could. Thank you so much for stopping by. I blog about sessions, things I'm learning, stuff in my life, and information for YOU, my client. If you like what you see around the site, I'd love to work with you! I'd also love to connect with you on Instagram. I'm @sarah_jayne_photo :) Archives
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