My Valentine- Summer 2007

I opened my car door and stepped out. Immediately I shielded my eyes. "Who would wear such a bright shirt?" I wondered.
I put on a smile and walked in the direction of a tall, limber guy wearing a bright yellow shirt with a cobra printed on the front. "Hey, I'm John." He said. He looked like a walking highlighter in plaid shorts. I gave him a friendly, christian hug and thanked him for deciding to help me out. Then I saw that Max was with him and hugged him too. "A familiar face!" I thought.

We made our way into the church to get set up. I was running on less than 4 hours sleep and had only been back in the country for 14 hours. It was the making for a long week. I had been asked to help put together a youth VBS service, and Petty (as everyone else called him) had agreed to help me out. We had never officially met, and I had no idea if the dude could even play an instrument much less sing. But here I was, desperate for any help I could get.

I showed Petty around the fellowship area.. aka, the gym. We plugged in all the usual: projector, speaker, mixer, mic... all you need for a make-shift one man show! And I was throwing in my little bit of knowledge here and there, not knowing that this guy was and still is a brilliant musician and audio tech engineer. Sometimes I think back and blush with embarrassment. (In case you didn't know... I'm married to the guy now). I frantically ran around for two hours trying to get everything in place before time to start. I barely said a word to him as I busied myself in the details and technicality of how everything was suppose to go.

It wasn't long until the kids began to arrive and the stressful part was over. All the preparation was done, and now I could just mingle and talk to teenagers. As I walked around, I noticed how Petty introduced himself to the youth and went out of his way to get to know them. He just seemed like an easy person to be around. I stood to the way side watching him, and then I chuckled to myself at how crazy and frazzled I must have appeared to him. "He must think I am a crazy woman with looks to match." I thought. The first night ended up going pretty well, and I told him that He was better than I had thought he'd be. It came out a little weird, and what was meant to be a compliment undoubtedly came out as an insult. I tried to explain what I meant, and I could tell he was getting a kick out of my rambling. He just smiled and said "thanks."

The next four days were great! Petty turned out to be a great musician and singer. We got to know each other pretty well over course of those days, and we continued to hang out even after VBS was over. I could totally tell he was starting to like me... and I must admit that I kinda liked him back.

This all happened coming on 4 years ago. Today is Valentines Day, and honestly, I've never been that big of a fan. But I can't help but reminisce on the first day I met Petty-- my boyfriend, my best friend, my fiance, my husband... my Valentine. I hate being sappy, but I do love this boy with all my heart... always.

Little brother- 1992

He was only 3, and we were best pals. We would play together right before bedtime. One night we were wrestling, and he tickled my feet. I reacted with a kick not knowing his little face was inches away. The jolt of my heel knocked his four front baby teeth loose... a little too loose. He lost them that night. I hid under the bed, out of sight from my mom, while he cried and screamed. I could only imagine how much trouble I was going to be in.

Mom came in and examined the damage. It took 3 more years for his grown-up teeth to replace the gaping hole in his smile. Tonight we had dinner together, and we laughed and reminisced. And I feel guilty when I think about that night... but I'd never let him know that.

God's biscuits- 1990ish

I have always loved singing in the car at the top of my lungs to the radio (a guilty pleasure). I grew up listening to light rock and country (typical of a child raised in the south) simply because that's what my mom listened to in the car. Thankfully i've expanded my horizons when it comes to music, and if you know me at all, you know that I really LOVE music!

I was in the car with my mom and the song "Unanswered Prayers" by Garth Brooks came on the radio. Mom turned up the volume just a tad. She gave me a wink, and I cleared my throat. The song was fairly new at the time, and I loved it. I wanted to impress my mom, so at the chorus where Garth ever-so smoothly sings the lyrics, "Some of God's greatest gifts…" I belted in a proud and confident voice "Some of God's great biscuits!" Until I was about seven, I always assumed that the song was about God making biscuits in Heaven. Go figure.

Kindgergarten (4k) - 1990

I remember my first day of kindergarten. The memory feels so close that it's almost tangible, like an orb of images that I can reach out and hold in my palm. I was four, and it was almost autumn. I stepped out of the car and the laughter and giggles of other children filled my ears. I smiled and looked up at my dad for confirmation that this was the right place. I couldn't believe that I was a big girl now and I'd get to start school. The world was at my feet.

Another grown person approached my parents, and ten stories above my head grown-up conversations were being had about the daily schedule and lunch times and pick up times. Their voices were distant and sounded like giants mumbling above the clouds. My eyes were focused on the kids playing on the playground. Their giggles were infecting me with joy and excitement. I watched in wide-eyed wonderment. I had picked out my favorite outfit: my red and navy blue sweater with the red heart in the middle, my navy blue pants to match, my white laced cuffed socks and shiny black mary-jane style shoes that had a flower on the strap. My long hair was pulled back with a navy blue head band, but still the slight breeze playfully blew thin strands of my hair in my face. With my hand, I quickly brushed my hair back in place. I was ready.

A kind rumble from above broke my concentration, and I looked up, "Are you ready, sweetie?" My dad said smiling big. I smiled back and said "Yeah." My mom and dad took my hand and walked me to the sidewalk and stopped. The other grown lady followed us, then turned and looked at me, "Hey Megon, my name is Mrs. Hall. I'm the teacher, and I'm very glad that you're here." I looked up at her, then at the other kids, then back at her. "Well, we're going to go inside now and learn some neat things. Can you tell mommy and daddy goodbye? You can play for a few minutes on the play ground until we're ready to go in."
"Her name is mama. I call her mama." I stated.
"Ok, well, mama needs to go to work. Can you tell her bye? She'll be back later I promise." With this, she held out her hand to me.

I looked over again at two little girls on the see saw and then looked at my mom, "Bye, mama!" At that I broke into a wild run toward the gate. I reached for the handle, and then for some reason I realized that I was going to be here by myself without my mom and dad, and I didn't know when they were coming back. For a four year old, that terrified me. My heart dropped and I whipped around still hoping I'd see my parents there. And they were. I took a few steps toward them and then randomly said with a small quiver in my voice, "What are we having for supper? Are you coming back?" They obviously chuckled a little and my mom, holding her composure, stated kindly, "Your favorite. Hotdogs, and yes, we are coming back. I promise." And to me, that was good enough confirmation so, I hugged them goodbye and ran onto the playground.

The image of what happened next fades into a blurry mess and nothing is really clear after that. But I remember this portion and often confirm it with my mom. She filled in a few fuzzy spots, but in all, the dialogue definitely happened. It's so funny what the mind chooses to hang onto so vividly, and other moments just feel like they never happened. But I like this memory.

The Bridge-2005

For the next couple of weeks I'm going to try to post one memory a day in a blog. I started thinking today about different memories I have from my childhood or even memories I've made over the past year or two. Then I thought that it would be fun to share them... or at least have them written down in some form or fashion. So here's to hoping I can stick with this in a consistent manner. (Disclaimer: I know I'll miss a day or two here and there, but I do hope to do this pretty consistently if possible.)

A Good Place to Start: The Bridge.

It was the Fourth of July in 2005; I was 19 and ready to do crazy things. I had been out of high school for a little over a year, and I was impulsive. A friend from Florida was visiting in the area, so he was hanging out with my brothers and me. The day was hot, long, and a little too tame for it to be a day devoted to celebrating freedom, life, youth, and liberation. Naturally we began to construct some ideas of things to "get into" in hopes to quench our craving for adventure.

We were lounging on my parents front porch when I randomly suggested we jump off a bridge, preferably one that went over water. The idea seemed logical to all of us. The air was spicy and thick, and our clothing had started to cling in areas we thought weren't possible . So we piled into my brothers silver corolla, and road off with the windows down in search of a nice bridge to jump off of. It was a good idea, we thought. (Warning... I do end some sentences with prepositions. I'm not ignorant; it's just really late).

The first bridge we drove to was one that my brother and I use to fish off of it when we were kids. It was a small bridge over a small lake.. if you could even call it a lake. It's location was what you would call "well off the beaten path". We found a small dirt area to park the car. We scanned the area before we got out to make sure there were no people around... we were pretty sure you could get into trouble for jumping off of bridges, which is why it made the idea so much more appealing. We didn't see anyone, so we crossed the road and made our way toward the bridge.

We could feel the heat rising off the pavement, and it only welcomed the desire to plunge into some cool water. From the edge the surface of the water seemed at least 20 feet below us, but it was actually only about 8 feet. It was a small bridge.
So now it was all down to who would go first. I think my brother and my Floridian friend decided to go at the same time. And so they did. I have to admit, I was a little nervous at first. My stomach churned a little at the thought of falling that far... but it was my idea and I couldn't chicken out. I mounted the guard rail, and with a small bit of hesitation I let go of my fear and jumped. I'm pretty sure I let out a high pitch shrill that was almost immediately swallowed up by the cool, silky lake water. I felt bubbles swimming all around me as I kicked my feet and thrusted my body up, up, up. I broke the surface and gasped for air. A smile spread wide across my face, and I stroked my way to the bank to do it again.

We jumped a few more times, my two brothers, the Floridian, and even my little sister who had tagged along as a potential lookout in case we were spotted. After a few more times, the leap didn't seem exciting anymore, so we decided to take my little sister and younger brother back home and then venture off in search of a bigger bridge with a higher jump.

And we found one.

The drop was an actual 20 feet this time, and it was on a busier road. The adrenaline was pumping, and I began to feel a little unsure. My brother and the Floridian decided they'd try it out first, and I decided I would just drive up and down the busy road in a patrolling fashion just incase we had to make a quick getaway. They immediately started ragging on me for chicken-ing out. And I blushed a little. But I patrolled as they made the first jump. Once they disappeared over the side, I parked and raced to the edge to make sure they were ok. I heard eruptions of laugher and screams of triumph... the bantering of kings.

They raced up the steep bank towards the shoulder of the road with smiles so wide it was contagious. I decided it was now or never. We waited till traffic cleared. We ran to the center of the bridge and mounted the railing. My head began to spin as I glanced down. My grip tightened and I wasn't sure anymore. My brother looked at me and saw my sudden hesitation and fear.
"Don't look down and don't think," he said. Then I blinked and he had disappeared over the egde, splitting the water's surface, and milliseconds later he bobbed happily 20 feet below. I took a deep breath. I didn't jump... it was more like a graceful fall. I felt as if I was suspended in nothingness. A lifetime seemed to pass by before I felt the initial contact of murky lake water.

The force of contact drove me deeper into the water. I felt the temperature of the water gradually drop by a few degrees as I sunk lower and lower into the depths of the lake. The dark cool embraced me and I let my body go limp. I decided not to fight the laws of gravity and let my body rest suspended in the coolness of the deep. It wasn't until the slimy seaweed tickled the bottom of my feet that I made my first attempts to resurface. Only 5 or 10 seconds had passed, but it felt like a few minutes. I sprayed water from my mouth and struggled to wipe away the hair that was glued to my face. I swam to the bank feeling accomplished and free. I smiled big and boasted a little about how awesome we were.

After that last jump, we decided to call it quits and figured we were lucky not to have gotten caught. It was time to make our way home. The ride home was different. The wind ripping through the windows left braille messages across our skin . The summer heat seemed inviting to our newly cooled bodies. We welcomed it a little more.

That night we ate homemade ice cream and shot fireworks in the back yard. We sat on the front porch sipping cola and talking about the day. We watched as the night slowly consumed us. We continued talking even when we couldn't see each other anymore. We didn't care that our eyes never seemed to adjust to the night.
Nothing persuaded us to leave this communal atmosphere. I sometimes think back to this day and become jealous. This is one of my favorite memories of my fleeting teen years.