My Life as Mama Jodi

This week we are traveling back to our graduationAnnie says:
“It’s that time of year… graduation! Which made this week’s time travel theme very easy to decide.
So, what do you remember about graduating from high school?
Was there anything special about the actual ceremony you remember?
What did you do after graduation?”

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

Graduation… wow that was so long ago. I had a very small graduating class, 81, and out of that, 6 of them were exchange students. Being a small class we all knew each other, and were very close. The night before our graduation practice we all camped out on the lawn. What a fun night that was!! Someone had a few for sale signs (I have no clue whose yard they came from) that we put in the schools yard. We pitched our tents (we did have permission to camp out there), some of us got on the schools roof and were throwing water balloons. We had a bonfire in the parking lot, where we burned all of our school notes. (I am on the left)

I don’t remember much of the actual ceremony. I walked with my best guy friend, Chris Lee.

My graduation party was lots of fun, here is my cake, and my gift tables.

I later went over to one of my friends open house, that turned into one big slumber party.

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My oldest graduated 2 years ago. I have 5 more years until my baby graduates.

This week we are traveling back to our cooking mishaps Annie says:
“How about you? Did you have any crazy cooking mishaps when you were learning to cook?
Can you remember the first meal you attempted to make? Was it a success or a joke?
Link up and share your story as you travel back to your cooking mishap.”

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

I have been cooking since as long as I can remember. My mom went back to work, and it was my responsibility to do the cooking and have it ready by the time her and dad got home from work. I don’t remember any mishaps from those days. But the one that stands out the most was when John and I were trying to make spaghetti sauce. We tried for so long to get it to come out just like his dads, but to no avail. The one time that stands out was when he decided he was going to make it without my help, he kept tasting it through out the day, and kept saying something wasn’t right, as it was very bitter. He thought he read or heard somewhere that you could put in a little baking soda to counter act the bitterness. So he added some, and oh my, what a disaster. It began bubbling, and looked really nasty. He tasted it again, and spit it out. Not sure what reaction happened, but that pot of sauce got dumped, and we headed to some fast food place I am sure.

So from there on out, he is no longer permitted to make the sauce. I have pretty much mastered the sauce we care for, it may not be his mom or dad’s sauce, but its a good sauce none the same.

This week we are traveling back to our proms
Annie says:
“Yes, I obviously have prom on the brain!
This week travel back to your junior or senior high prom…
Did you go all out like Amanda? What did your dress look like?
Who did you go with? Any special memories from prom night?”

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

Let’s see my junior prom (1985), I went with a friend, my dress was pink. I can’t find any of the pictures of this night.
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My Senior Prom (1986) ~ my dress was with, with light blue diagonal lines through it with little blue flowers inside the diamonds (that the lines created). I had my hair pulled over to the side of my head, with little white and blue flowers in it (no pic of this), and again I went with a friend, we doubled with my best, male friend and his date. Before we met up with this couple we had our pictures taken at my parents, along with my best friend and her date. We went to Brann’s for dinner, then off to the Harley hotel for the prom. It was a great time. We then met up with my best friend again, and headed back to her house for movies.

Me and my date, Ron

My best friend Jeanine and her date, Dan

The couple we doubled with, Chris and ?? (I can’t remember her name)

My friends and I (Jeanine, Nancy and Lisa)

This week we are traveling back ~ “to grandmother’s house we go” edition
Annie says:
“Travel back to grandmother’s (or aunt… or ?) house.
What are the smells you remember walking in when you were young?
What are things you remember seeing everytime you were there?
Any special things you always did with or at grandmother’s house?”

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

Ahh grandma’s house. We would usually go over on a Saturday or Sunday for a visit, and we would no sooner get there, when grandmas would ask us if we were hungry, as she was just getting ready to make some pancakes. I loved visiting there in the spring time, as they were surrounded by apple orchards, and it always smelled so nice. And of course there was always her apple pies waiting! We would all fight over who got to play the organ, she would usually make us go by age, starting with the youngest, which I always thought was unfair (I was the oldest). The only time I didn’t like going over was apple picking time, as all of us grandkids had the job of picking up the drops. Our pay.. a quarter, and a nice lunch. But all in all it was always fun going over to grandma’s house.

This week we are traveling back to our ~ “where did you get that?” edition
Annie says:

“Time traveling assignment for today:
Look around your house and find an object of interest.
Where did it come from?
Was it a gift from someone special or a gift for yourself?
Tell all about it!”
bonus:
post a picture of your item!

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

Oh what fun!! I get to talk about my opossum collection. Where did it come from you ask?? Well, my father in law. He has this thing that I am from “the hills”, a “ridge runner”, “stump jumper”, and any other name he can think of. Why? I don’t know. So every year for Christmas or my birthday he would get me some sort of opossum object. I would do that same for him. Thankfully this has stopped for both of us.

I have stuffed opossum’s (toys), a opossum in a pear tree (to the tune of “A partridge in a pear tree) ~ I used to have one of those fake trees with a stuffed opossum hanging in it, but finally got rid of that. My sister in law got in on the act for my 30th b-day she made a cake and put lots of opossums on it.

These are just a few of the collection, that I have left out on display. Gotta love family!

This week we are traveling back to our Easter traditions. Annie says:

“Growing up, Easter was _________________.
Share your Easter traditions. Did you have egg hunts every year? A new dress? Was it a spiritual event in your family, or just a fun day?”

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

Growing up we would wake to find our Easter baskets filled with lots of candy and some sort of toy. I continued this tradition with my own boys for a while. We have at times had some egg hunts, but the boys didn’t get into that all that much. We now just do a family basket filled with lots of jelly beans, Peeps and some kind of chocolate. I have had my brother, his wife and girls over for dinner for the last few years, but this year we will be going over to my in laws for dinner, and I am sure she will have lots of candy for the boys.

I am looking forward to the Easter service at church as the little kids have been planning for this for some time now.

This week we are traveling back to our first babysitting jobs. Annie says:

“Travel back to your first few babysitting jobs, were you a teenager?
Were there any interesting, scary, or neat experiences you remember?”

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

I had so many different babysitting jobs in my teenage years, from watching my own siblings to cousins and so on. But I think the most memorable one that sticks out the most was when I was babysitting for one particular family. I would get there right after the kids had dinner, so I didn’t have to mess with that. We had our fun playtime, then it was time for baths then bed. I got them all tucked in for the night and headed downstairs to watch TV until the parents got home. Of course their house was out in the country, with no other houses around… I kept hearing strange noises. At first I brushed it off as just the wind brushing the branches against the house. It would stop for a while then start back up, it was freaking me out. I headed back upstairs, hoping they would get home soon. I got out a book to read, but was still on edge.

Finally in walked the parents and asked how things went (all the while looking very guilty). The dad asked me to run down to his office and grab his schedule for the next week (mind you I have known this family for a while and knew what a prankster he is). I knew something was up, but couldn’t figure it out. I went down there, only to be scarred out of my mind. There stood Jens (pronounced Yens ~ a guy I had dated for a while before he went home to Finland (he was an exchange student at my school and had stayed at this family’s house). The parents had went to the airport to pick him up to surprise me.

I was ready to throttle them! I loved the surprise, but dang, what a way to freak out someone. The whole time I kept hearing noises it was them. They thought for sure I would go look to see what it was. NOT! I couldn’t believe the kids didn’t let on to what was going to happen, as they knew the whole time!

This week its all about your favorite childhood pet Annie says:

“Did you have a favorite pet as a child? What was it?
Where did it come from?
What was the coolest thing about your pet?”

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

My favorite childhood pet(s) were Susie the kitty, she was the softest, most friendliest cat. Sadly, she disappeared one day, we think someone took her. Then there was Squirt the Beagle. This was more my brother’s dog, but we all loved her none the same. This dog was so smart… she would know when it was one of us that had pulled in the driveway, she would be waiting at the corner of the house, just out of sight and would pounce on you when you rounded the corner. But if a strange car pulled in the driveway, she would bark like crazy. It was hilarious.

I will never forget the day my brother called to tell me that someone has shot her, I cried for days. I don’t know why people have to be so cruel! It was really hard going to my parents house for the longest time, as I knew she wouldn’t be there to pounce on us when we rounded the corner. To this day I won’t use the back door.

We had other pets growing up, but these two were my favorites. I have pictures somewhere, but can’t find them.

This week its all about your bestest day ever… Annie says:

“What’s the best day of your life?
Was it the day your married … gave birth… ????
Was it a spiritual occasion?”

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

I would like to say it was when I got married, but that day I just wanted over with! Then you would think the birth of my children would be the best, but they weren’t. The best day of my life was the day I gave my life back to Christ, which in turn was the day of the birth of my 2nd son. I am still growing in Him each and every day.

This week we are traveling forward… Annie says:

“Let’s travel forward this time!
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Will you be living where you live now?
What’s going on in your life five years from now???”

You can view more Time Travels over at Annie’s blog.

In five years I see myself definitely NOT doing daycare! Both boys will be done with school, so I don’t need to be the chauffer anymore.

Living where?? I am hoping that we won’t be in the area we are now, praying our house sells quickly this Spring when it goes on the market! I would love to be in the country (well a country setting, just not to far from the stores! LOL). I have the perfect house in my mind, now if only it comes true!

Going on? I would love to have my own photography studio open and thriving.