Nicole's Memories

I remember having fun when we went out on Strolling Strings gigs.

I remember making frozen bananas on the porch with my Grandpa Choppy

I remember being about 3 or 4 and having Santa stop by our house. We have a video of the event, and I seem to have played along with the whole thing, but I remember at the time thinking, "This is Kerri's dad dressed up in a Santa suit."

I remember that my second and third grade teacher (same teacher both years) was probably less than a foot taller than the kids in the class.

I remember the first time I had a dream that I was convinced was more than just a dream. I was sitting with my Grandpa Claude who had died a few years earlier and we just talked. Besides feeling very real, the dream was also unique in that I woke up a few times during it and kept going back to the same conversation with my Grandpa.

I remember eating breakfast at my grandma's house one morning after my cousin and I had spent the night there. Grandma got a box of raisin bran out of the cabinet & we poured two bowls for ourselves. Once we added the milk, tons of little black BUGS floated to the surface. Granny was like, "Oh, I guess that cereal has been in there for awhile...."

I remember not talking to my best friend, Kerri, for about a month when we were 12 or 13. I think the "fight" started when I didn't show up for her birthday party, which she had not specifically invited me to. I was mad because she hadn't invited me, and she was mad because I didn't know I had a blanket invitation for life to all events she was present at.

I got a letter in my mailbox one day from her saying something along the lines of "When you're done being too good to talk to me, you know my phone number." Since our parents were friends with each other and she and my sister were also friends, I doubt we stayed away from each other for too long.

I remember being a Day Camp counselor my first summer home from college. I worked with, among other college kids, a guy who I went to high school with and didn't like at all. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I realized that either I was too quick to judge him when we went to school together, or he had grown up a lot in that first year out of high school.

I remember walking through Rock Creek as a kid and hiking at the State Park.

I remember watching "The Price Is Right" on my great-grandma's living room floor.

I remember the year (1984?) we had a snowdrift so large in our backyard that my dad carved out a snow fort that we could actually walk into.

I remember when my high school orchestra teacher found out I was intending to major in music education in college. He decided I needed to be a student conductor for a music contest ensemble. I was mortified to have to conduct my own friends, but also very interested to have the chance to see if I liked that part of teaching.

I remember trying on costumes for our eighth grade play. I guess me and a couple other girls took too long getting our clothes on because when we reappeared, our teacher actually "booed" us. Loudly and like the old lady in "The Princess Bride". ("ALL HAIL THE QUEEN OF PUTRESCENCE! BOO! BOO!")