10,590 days ago...

My Mother gave birth to me. I was 5 lbs 14 oz, 18 1/2 inches long. I guess I was a little bigger, but I lost some weight right after birth?

I was small, short, and probably even a little cute. After all, aren't all babies cute?.

Thanks for bringing me into the world Mom! Dad, thanks for starting it (well, maybe Mom initiated it...OK, that is more than I want to know.)! And thanks for putting up with me all of these years!

A few years ago, my Mom made me a cute memory book, with lots of cute things in it, from class pictures to report cards, pictures of friends and birthday cards. I thought I would scan a few items in of my early years, up to when I moved out to Montana. One day I will have to blog about my post-Minnesota days, and put in some pictures of me with red hair, and all the other stuff!

Here is my first attempt at trying to fake out "big brother": Notice how I cleverly raised my right foot just a bit so that they couldn't identify my foot mark for future identification. Note to self, wear socks always, just in case...



Here I am as a baby. I don't know why I couldn't have kept some of the cuteness. I did look a little surprised. When I make that face now, I have bumps on my forehead...well wrinkles really...Willard and Maynard call them bumps..."let me see your bumps Mommy." Nice!



Here are the cute, little "red" pictures. I look kinda crabby in the second one. I am actually crabby right now. But that is because it is the full moon. (A whole other story):



I have no idea how old I was here, but I sure had a cute little face:



Here I am in Kindergarten....back when we could say Merry Christmas, and when I had a crush on Chris Mast. He was so cute...



This is me on the first day of Kindergarten. I used to wear dresses back then. And no tummy showing. No words on the butts of my pants:



I didn't get too bad of grades in school...but this particular report card, from the 3rd grade, I obviously thought I deserved better than a c- in math. ( I really don't like math...)

My teacher was kinda mean. I used to get whacked on the head or knuckles with a ruler. But that is because I used to talk. A lot. And I giggled too.

I do remember changing that grade, and I remember getting in big trouble for it. I wonder how many times my parents looked at my feeble attempt to change a grade with my "stellar" handwriting skills and laughed their butts off. How hard did you laugh Dad and Mom?



I would have put my 5th grade picture, but that would be wrong and it may just scare you. Lets just say it had to do with a black and red knit sweater with little bows and ponies and my hair was almost mullet-ish...almost. I think every person has had one year where they were just awkward, odd, and downright a little scary. Well, just agree with me here, it makes me feel better.

But I will put this picture on...one of my cousins and I used to always try on my sister's acid washed, tapered leg jeans at the same time and walk around. Sometimes even her shirts. See that blanket on the couch too...that has got to be one of my favorites of all times...How come crocheted blankets are so warm?



This is also the time that my now dear and sweet husband was in high school...of course we didn't know each other back then, but I do like to make the effort of pointing out that I was in grade school when he was in high school. I love you honey!

Ahhh, 6th Grade. Back when I was still in love with The New Kids on the Block. I wore interchangeable Casio watchbands and I had neon slap bracelets before they got taken away! I rolled, no wait, even better-pinned my pants. My 6th grade teacher used to drink root beer and popcorn and say "umpteenth" all while spitting when he talked.

I don't know if I had reached the height of my dorkiness just yet, but I sure was close...(I still had the Pauly Shore (From Son-in-Law) look coming in junior high. You could tell by the hair in this picture that it was almost inevitable. Yes. Sad, but true. Thankfully though, I don't believe there are any pictures of that floating around...)



I have a picture from the 8th grade, but I look really pale. I even remember wearing makeup on this particular day. What was I thinking...I am not sure, but I did like that sweatshirt.



I have no idea what possessed me to cut my hair. One night I just took the scissors to it and it was awful. I didn't have the luxury of getting it fixed before pictures...the first picture was way worse. These are retakes. I think it was 9th or 10th grade. I was mistaken for a boy on more than one occasion. It was super easy to take care of though:



Here is me and another one of my cousins (I have about a thousand cousins). She lived across the road. I would go over there almost every day. Nothing says "cute" like mint green facial masks...



Here is one of me on the way back from being at her house.



Here is one of my grad pictures. I loved that shirt. And that hat.



Here is a picture of me (Pale Force anyone???) and my Grandma who lived in Montana. I went to live with her after I graduated. I look a little round in the cheek there...

I ended up meeting the love of my life out there...and the rest, they say, is History.



So, there we have it. Thanks again Dad and Mom for raising me to be the person I am. You are both awesome and I love you both. Thanks for dealing with my hyperness, crazyness, and loudyness. (I wanted to rhyme!) Thank you to my sisters for throwing me into the insulation, and ants. And for making me eat a worm and betting me that I wouldn't put a frog in my mouth. (NOT RECOMMENDED BY THE WAY!). Thanks baby Bro for all the hippoopahmus and dinosaur jokes, and for being bigger than me. Thanks to my family and friends who shaped my life and for loving me for who I am. And a thanks to the two cousins who are pictured on here...lol..be thankful I didn't post names! You two were always there for me.

As for how I will spend my day, I plan on staying home if at all possible. Randy will be back Friday and then he is sending me to get a massage. And maybe even a pedicure. Maybe I should get my nails done? I dunno. Probably a negative on the nails. Maybe I will have him buy me a gallon of frozen yogurt (You know who you are...thanks for tempting me at Burger King...) and I will stay home and eat it all by myself and stuff my face...

I got a really sweet cast iron pan from my Mother-in-Love...I LOVE IT! I cant wait to cook something in it!

But we are going to have a babysitter come over too.

I want him to make me my chair. Hint. Hint. I love you honey. Thanks for putting up with me for almost 10 years! (And you are stuck with me now!) Thank you for wanting to make me happy, even when I am crabby. I hope that I can show you my love for you every day, and that we get really old and gray (oh wait, we are already getting gray, huh...) well, really old, and saggy together. Well. Maybe not saggy.