I remember the bright summers that meant nothing but friends and fun. I remember the days I would wake up early, and the kids my mom babysat would come over. We would go outside, and it would still be a little chilly, and the grass would still be a little wet, but it felt great between our toes.
We would play baseball and kickball and everything in between. We would ride down the road on bikes and in Barbie cars and we were so happy. We would read books and eat popsicles and play board games till the end of the day. We would play outside in sprinklers and pools and slip and slides. I could be the tomboy that I was, hair falling into my face, jean shorts and a T-shirt, and nobody cared.
I remember the falls when school was on it's way which meant a new haircut, new clothes, and new supplies. I remember being the only one of my siblings old enough for school, and feeling so special because I got to go shopping, just me and my Gramie and Poppy.
Life never felt so good as the autumn breeze in my hair and the leaves slowly falling to the ground around me. I would rake up all the leaves till my little arms were sore, because I was so eager to jump in them. I would play in them until it got too dark to be outside, and I would groan and go inside.
I remember the cold winters that meant shorter days and less time outside. I would sit in my living room huddled in a blanket eating Spaghetti-O's and watching Mary-Kate and Ashley on the VCR. Videos were the coolest thing and I owned too many to count. I knew all the words to my favorite ones and recited them as they played.
I would wake up early on school days, listening to the radio, hoping for a snow day, waiting for them to say the name of my school. On the days school was canceled it didn't mean going back to sleep, but instead a long day of sledding and snowball fights ahead of me. We would bundle up in snowsuits and trek outside, staying out there until we could no longer feel our fingers or our toes. Mom would be inside waiting with hot chocolate piled high with marshmallows and a bucket of hot water for my feet.
I remember the springs that meant no more indoor recess, but instead recess outside in the rain. We weren't allowed on the gravel or the grass because teachers know children and mud don't mix well, but I would stand under an umbrella shared with my best friend, and we would walk around the blacktop, talking and laughing.
On the days the sun was out I would spend hours in my backyard searching for four leaf clovers, never to find any, but persisting to look. I would pick all the dandelions and rub them on the faces of my friends and family. My mom taught me how to do kart wheels and how to get myself so high on the swings that I felt like I was flying. Life was beautiful.
