1970-1980

October 17, 1970, is the day I was born! Yes, that means I turned 36 yesterday. Can time really go by so quickly? Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies love a banana! In response to yesterday's big event, I decided to spend the next few blogs remembering the 3 decades (and 6 years). Let's begin with the first decade: 1970-1980.

1970: Born in Charleston, S.C., with beach sand in my hair and salt water in my veins! I'm the
fifth--and last--child (the fourth girl!).

1971: Dad goes to Thailand for a year--the Air Force doesn't allow family to go, so we move to
St. Petersburg, FL, to be near the grandparents.

1972: Dad comes home, and we move to Eglin Air Force Base, Pensacola, FL.

1973: My most vivid memory? It's actually quite sick. I remember getting scolded for scraping
chewing gum off of the sidewalk and attempting to chew it. YUCK!

1974: Pack the bags for cross country trip to fly from Florida to California in order to move to
Hickham AFB, Honolulu, Hawaii. I still have sand in the hair and salt water in the veins!

1975: Return to the mainland--to Richards Gebauer AFB, Belton, MO. For the first time in my
life, I don't live near the beach.

1976: In September, I get sent to school-- Gladden Elementary School. I hate being separated from my mom, but my teacher is nice, and my best friend, Don, is in the same room with me. Besides, we only have to go until 12 pm.

1977: My sisters and I go to Bible School at some other church. For the first time, my mom is
not my Bible School teacher. Since the teacher doesn't let me go see my oldest sister at some point in the day, that Bible School lasts one day for me. I stick to Bible School with Mom.

1978: Pack the bags again. This time, we move to Dinwiddie, VA. For the first time since my
Dad was in Thailand, we don't live on the AFB. Also for the first time, we live in the middle of nowhere. (And, we're only 1 1/2 hours from the beach now!)

1979: I learn to love living in the middle of nowhere. I also meet some neat friends and "Ya'll"
officially becomes a part of my vocabulary. Oh, and now we get to see my mom's family
in Lancaster, PA much more frecuently.

1980: I turn 10. One decade down! Ronald Reagan becomes president and I start actually
following world events in my 10 year old way. Dad retires from the Air Force.

1980-1990 next time. And, yes, I happen to be one of those people who actuallly likes the fact that I grew up in the 80's! By the way, in 1980 my parents bought me a red t-shirt with an iron on of Bo and Luke Duke resting on the General Lee. What more could a girl want from her first decade?