Thursday, February 17, 2011

The nineties are so last century

After posting the video yesterday of the Today show circa 1994 and thinking a lot about Katie Couric's hairdo I thought it would be fun to see what we were doing in 1994. I mean if we weren't on the internet how in the world were we filling up all those many minutes in our day?

1994 was the year Seinfeld first aired,
the year OJ Simpson drove a White Bronco,
and the year Sheryl Crow had the #1 song-

So what was going on with my little family way back when?
For starters, we moved that year.
Shocking!

We started out the year living in NJ and ended the year living in Maryland.


You're impressed with our landscaping, aren't you?
Actually, it was a brand new house and we did landscape once we were settled.
We did a good job too.
And by 'we' you know I mean the hubs, right?
Except for my crazy impatiens.


I can grow some impatiens y'all.
And no this is not 1994 but that bed was full of impatiens like this every year once we moved in.

Judging from our photos I guess not a lot happened between January and May of 1994 or if it did we didn't take pictures.
Daughter1 was a sweet kindergartner and before we moved out of NJ we had a birthday party with her friends there....here she is with her bestest buddy back in the day-


And here they are today...


Life is sometimes oh so funny.

I was reminded of a few things as I looked thru our photos.
For one, daughter1's birthday was at least a month long.
Apparently turning six was a big deal in our house that year...


Here are daughters 1 and 2 with #1 cousin in between.

Which brings me to something else I remembered about 1994...
Do you see that stinker on the end wearing the cute blue dress and the cheeky grin?


Yeah, her.

Well back in '94 let's just say there were more than a few days I questioned whether or not I'd survive to tell the tale of her toddlerhood.
Positively too adorable for words but oh my word-the mischief and the hijinks and the have no fear that child brought into our everyday life...


And the laughter...


Can't forget the laughter.

Of course I know what you're really interested in is whether or not I had a hairdo that rocked like Katie's and I'm happy to report that I did not.


But I had some hair, didn't I?
This is hubs and I (on the right) in Aruba with our 'teammates'.
We were there for a work thing and had to do a photo scavenger hunt around the island..


Oh hubs.
Rest assured some things never change.

You should know we totally dominated that scavenger hunt which is why we were awarded those awesome trophies you see in the picture.
My competitive side was fully engaged back in 1994.

How about hubs mustache?
Holy moly.
I'll get back to that in a minute.

First let's discuss this picture which was taken the day of my sister in laws December wedding.


1. My hair! There's alot of it!

2. Shoulder pads. Oh dear.

3. Now I remember...hubs is a red head.

4. And he hadn't gotten wise to the mustache yet.

5. Daughter1 is on the right...six years old and looking appropriately serious to attend her very first wedding.

6. Daughter2 is on the left... four years old and fresh as a daisy after a 12 hour car ride the day before.

7. A car ride in which she managed to vomit every hour on the hour all the way from Northern NJ to Tennessee. Good times!

8. Some things are etched in your brain without a photograph.

9. Little girls in matching dresses make my heart go mush.

10. Dear 1994-I think I left my waistline there.
Could you return it please?

Shortly after this picture was taken hubs shaved that mustache right off.
We were at my moms for Christmas and when he
walked into the room with his naked upper lip both little girls burst into tears.


He had to dress a Barbie doll so they'd forgive him.

We'd been together approximately 14 years at that point and I'd never seen him without it.
He looked younger.
Much younger.
Better actually.

Thus concludes the year that was.
Now...where were you in 1994?
Because we know for sure you weren't wasting time on the internet.

edited to say I'm linking this post to Flashback Friday over at Mylestones today...
hop over and read some of her fabulous writing

26 comments:

  1. What a fun post. I would have to really sit down and think about it. Those photos are at our house in AR since they include my other life. lol. My daughter was 12 in 94. And I was a youth leader at our church and ex helped me with the kids. Good Times Good Memories!
    until next time... nel

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  2. I had so much fun reading this post, Joyce. 1994 doesn't seem that long ago until you actually look back at the photos. Where does the time go? So much has happened since then. Your hubby looks far better without the mustache!

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  3. We were living in Birmingham in the first house we built. #1 son was in school at the University of Arkansas. #'s 2 & 3 were in middle school. I'd like to forget middle school, which is probably why I don't remember much more about 1994.

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  4. Great post! Now what was I doing in 1994? I can't remember, Guess I need to pull down the old photo albums and see what was happeing at our house back then. Week end project I think.

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  5. Oh, I just loved this tour of your life! Back then I had just finished my first year of marriage. We lived in a guest house in sunny LA. The owner had 2 dogs that absolutely HATED Todd. He had to make a run for it every time he came and left the property.
    You made me laugh-- my waistline is partying with your waistline somewhere back there!

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  6. The day daddy shave off the stache is etched in my mind. haha! Great post! Great pictures!

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  7. What a great and fun post! You are so witty!

    In 1994, I was diagnosed with RA. Life in our house was changing. It was a difficult year. Much like what my daughter is experiencing now.

    We added a bathroom to the house, complete with a whirpool tub-to soothe those aching joints. I spent many hours soaking in that tub--by candlelight--at the end of the day.

    I remember the white Bronco. We were on the way home from a vacation trip to Hilton Head, SC when the story broke.

    I was dealing with 2 rowdy boys(ages 8 and 11), and a 15 yr. old daughter. Oh the joys! I can still remember the commotion of the three of them cleaning up the kitchen at night (before we got a dishwasher)!

    I also remember the children loving country music that year(Tim McGraw comes to mind), and getting me to love it as well...then the boys switched to rap. UGH!

    Thanks for the memories! It was fun!

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  8. 1994?

    DD was 19 and a year out of high school. She was attending the local University but wasn't serious about higher education yet (much like her mother when she was the same age).

    DH & I had been married 7 years. I was working at the fundraising organization for the local University at the time ... it was likely that by then I had grown tired of that job (the long hours during the summer, the ever-increasing work load, the back-stabbing co-worker). The opportunity to take another position at the University didn't materialize for another 6 years ... unfortunately, the new position turned out to be just another ugly work situation, but that's another story for another day.

    Life is so much better now than it was 17 years ago. ;-)

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  9. Great post and fun pictures! In 1994 I gave birth to my third child (I'm posting about him tomorrow since he turned 17 this week) and we moved to Alabama after living 8 years of more or less married bliss in the north. Lots of culture shock and changes that year!

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  10. Great post...my daughter was born in 1994 I remember sitting on the couch nursing her and watching OJ drive down highway for hours. I also remember a show starting and the first time I watched it I was like this show will never make it that show was "Friends"! 1994 bad perm and legging and tunics! My hubby glasses were so big around...I laugh at pictures! Your hubby much younger without stash! Loved memory lane today! Oh and my cell phone was a brick! haha remember those!

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  11. Funny stuff. The first things that come to mind are: in Feb, my FIL died; that summer, we moved from NC to TN (maybe we passed you on the road); I left a job I dearly loved (in NC) to take one I hated (in TN); hubby started a new business. And I had big hair, too!

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  12. I really had to think. That´s a long way back. Your memories are so fun to read. For me that was a fun year. I had just started my own boutique and was so glad to be working again. The kids started school and I was not just a SAHM anymore. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
    Thanks for the memories!

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  13. What a fun post to read!

    In 1994 my daughter was 10 years old. I had way more hair, just like you, and we were living in a nice little town in central NJ.

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  14. No not at all. I was packing to move from New Hampshire to Punta Gorda, Florida. We actually accomplished that and moved into our dream home there. I loved it, was very content with our church and friends, but missed the four seasons, and the heat killed me. Thus after 6 years we moved back.
    I think it was in 1995 I started getting into computers, as Hubby was already hooked up via work, and I could email him when he was gone.
    And in 1994 I had really short hair! And a bikini body!

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  15. OH, my goodness, that prompted all kinds of memories for me. What a fun entry!

    I always enjoy stopping by!

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  16. 1994 was just last year wasn't it? No? Hmmmm . . . oh yeah. I spent that entire year trying to get pregnant. There's nothing that can ruin your sex life quite like trying to get pregnant is there? Thankfully, it finally worked!

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  17. That is so funny how they reacted to his missing mustache!!!

    I don't think your hair was too bad,I relaly don't!

    I LOVE impatiens, but I've only had one house where they got anything remotely like yours. Wow, you're good!

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  18. ha! My son did the exact same thing when his father shaved off his mustache. He had never ever seen him without it and had a meltdown. Too funny. I loved your photo journey. Thanks for sharing it with us. 1994 was not a great year for me. :)

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  19. 1994? Our son would have been 7, so I believe we had just moved to where we now live. Beyond that, I can't remember much. :-/ It's happening more and more :-0
    I think you look like a brunette Shelly Long, Joyce. Has anyone ever told you that? And I think your hair looks really nice AND the hubs looks much better "moustacheless". :-)
    Your girls are simply adorable! Younger or older....it doesn't matter! :-)

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  20. Saw 51 degrees yesterday - saw the deck (we have to shovel for the dog so no big deal) drove with the window open a bit! Picture happy dance here. So glad you have a project for the week end. Looking forwarded to seeing it soon.

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  21. So funny Joyce - you are such a great (and entertaining writer). 1994 doesn't seem too long ago until you look at pictures, right? :)

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  22. Joyce this was fun! Your family is so cute in 1994. I'll have to go check my pictures and see what we were doing. I know this much this day in 1994 we were celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary.

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  23. Joyce, I absolutely love this post! I have to say--what really got me--my children are 6 and 4 right now. And when I saw pictures of your girls then and now....OH my heart! This growing up thing is REAL and it's going to happen to MY KIDS.
    Anyway, enough making everything about me. :-) This was such a fun post. Thanks for joining in!

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  24. I remember 1994! And that's my wedding! You guys were troopers that day as I recall with those two cute little girlies.

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  25. Why is that men grow mustaches to make them look older, but they look so much better (and younger) when they shave them off? Lee shaved his off in 1999!

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  26. 1994? I barely remember yesterday! lol. Loved your pics and recollections. Thanks for sharing. Have a fabulous week. Blessings, SusanD

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