- Born at 10:04am proving early on that I was NOT a morning person.
- My first "playpen" was a bushel basket.
- First memory I have was riding my cousin Pam's horse Mollie all by myself, age four – I was hooked.
- I had several falls from my other cousins' horses over the next few years and always made my cousins promise not to tell my parents.
- Spent six years begging my Mom and Dad for my own horse. I got Buttercup when I turned ten and for the first year of riding we went wherever she wanted to go. The following year I actually took control.
- Most of my childhood memories revolve around farm animals. I spent hours behind sows watching the baby piglets being born and running back and forth from the barn to the house to give my reports.
- I cried every time I got my hair cut as a child. I can't claim total child abuse over it because I think I also cried every time I was forced to have my hair brushed.
- In the third grade my teacher wrote a note home to my parents because, "She refuses to socialize with the other girls during recess and spends her time playing with the boys". (How telling) I was forced to play "cheerleader" with the girls at recess for weeks until my misery was so evident I was once again allowed to play kickball instead. * I grew up knowing few things for certain, but I always knew I did NOT want to be a cheerleader!
- I had a perfect score on a musical aptitude test. Teachers called my parents several times requesting they put me in band. It was a nine-mile drive to town, so instead of band I took piano lessons from the smelly lady that lived a farm away from ours.
- I've lived 6 different places – none of them more than 20 miles from the little town of 4,300 where I was born.
- My mother had two children… I was her second favorite.
- In the summers my family "walked beans" it was a hellacious job of walking between the rows of soybeans and either pulling or hacking out all the weeds with a hoe. I "accidentally" hacked into my foot and got out of walking for two weeks.
- I went to religious grade school. The preacher told us that there was no such thing as dinosaurs and that scientists had put together bones from different God made animals to make them look like strange creatures, it was 1980.
- I played quarterback on the girls and boys football teams in seventh and eigth grade.
- My first kiss was at my first keg party during a church softball tournament. Mom and Dad figured camping with other "church" kids would be a safe event for me. I drank beer, listened to AC/DC – Dirty Deeds, and made out with a guy named Tim all night. In the morning light he walked me back to my tent, "hey, I didn't even know you had braces". My mouth was ripped up for a week.
- I met my future ex-husband when I was sixteen. He smoked, drank and drove a green Pinto. When he came to pick me up for a date my dad walked out onto our porch to check him out. My dad was 6'3, 260 – big man, my date was 5'10, 140 – dad walked out said, "he's too little throw him back," and then just turned around and went back into our house.
- Three months later I was pregnant. I still had a curfew of 11pm.
- My track coach was as upset about the pregnancy as everyone else and offered to get me a really big jersey so I could still help the team, LOL.
- Sophomore year in high school I went to Districts in all four of my events – 400m relay, 800m relay, shot and discus. I threw school records in both shot and disc, during my senior year my daughter was at a few of the meets.
- I hid my pregnancy for four months. After it was out in the open I managed to set some sort of record at my clinic by gaining 26 pounds in one month. I craved Raisin Bran like an addict. While shoveling my mouth full dad would walk by, "that aint all baby you know," he was right again.
- I was in labor from Sunday until Tuesday morning. In between contractions I heard the nurses in the next room laughing. They had called the doctor and since it was midnight when I checked in – he didn't want to be bothered again until they could see the head. He arrived in time to cut me without anesthetic and deliver a purple baby. They took her away and wouldn't let me see her until after a social worker tried to talk me out of keeping her. I was to young to know I should have sued the bastard. I never had another baby.
- My husband and I both turned 18 the same month we were married.
- I separated my shoulder while attempting to break a stud colt the day before my daughters first birthday. I was on drugs and missed her party.
- My daughter was a brilliant little fart. When I'd show up for her first grade events and the other children would all stare at me wondering who I was she'd announce, "that's my mom and she's only 23." Even six year olds can subtract 6 from 23 and gasp.
25. I will never love anyone or anything as much as I love my daughter.
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Comments: 16
Does your daughter ride horses too?
nancy - yes my daughter shares my love of horses! which is good or i'd have to disown her!
thanks for the kind words Martha: i've had my downs and looking forward to more "ups" soon!
take care everyone *huggzzzzzz*
Its good to read your work again. You are coming back in fine form. Keep it coming. All the best.
RKL
I am 35 and my daughter is going to be 18 in less than 3 months.
reading this list was like reading a short story, so much humor, so much ability to smile at difficult times..my favorite was your daughter..my daughter also likes to say my age, but contrary to you, i don't want it known...despite the difficulties it must be very special to have a daughter so near you in age, i envy that!
thanks for the laughter!
The structure is what got me through. It is the perfect form for me to read. Which I am thougroughly gladd I did.
So when is the next installment of 25 coming out?
Agree with Yvonne - when's your next 25?