Throwing it Way Back

Have you've seen this photo that's been making its way around the Internet recently? I don't know where it originated, but just know I'm not the creative mind behind the lens.  

I've linked to the Facebook page where I first saw it, but not sure if it actually belongs to them either. I'm a little bit paranoid about not giving credit where credit is due, so shoutout to whoever thought this one up.  

In 1993 I never worried about who should get credit for a photo I was adding to my blog-ha! Hey, guess what was born in 1993? 'Twas a little thing called the World Wide Web.  

We had no idea of what we had no idea. 

I thought it would be fun to celebrate Throwback Thursday today, circa 1993. The year we 'jogged' with our Walkmen, talked on ginormous mobile phones, and wore actual watches to tell time. We video-ed using camcorders that sat perched atop our shoulders as if we were employees in a major news network.  FYI-I've been known to say videotape in the year 2013.  Old habits die hard.

Way back when, we had not all embraced technology, much of which was awkward, mysterious, and expensive. Plus I was a young mom in 1993, and had far more important things to worry about than an electronic world I couldn't imagine, and didn't understand. 

For starters, it was the year I sent my first born baby to kindergarten. 

This picture was taken at Christmas, but still, Kindergarten! 

I know!!

Then there was her sister,  a three year old mighty warrior princess who lived by the motto, 'Leap then look'. 

Was it really only 20 years ago I was parenting a three year old?  

A three year old who learned to drive at Disney World, and whose mother somehow always managed out of focus photographs with the heads lopped off.  

Apparently so.

We were living in NJ twenty years ago.  

Same state, different town.  

Same woman, different person.  

Just look at this little miss.  

1993 was the year American Girl Dolls came to live at our house.  

Also the year I started highlighting my hair.

When you're doing your best to keep up with a three year old whose mission in life is to go for the gusto, you're gonna grow a few gray hairs. Because they're worth it.

1993 was the year of Bill Clinton, the Branch Davidian, and the first World Trade Center bombing. Gasoline was about $1.20 and Beanie Babies were launched on American parents children.  

I know these things not because I remember them, but because I googled them. 

Google wasn't a verb in 1993.  

Actually Google wasn't even a company. 

Sometimes it's hard to remember the world before the Internet.

One last thing I discovered in my search was the number one song that year-  I Will Always Love You.

Turns out some things really are timeless.

Monday, Monday...

I wonder how many Monday blog posts have used that title since blogging began?

When did blogging begin, anyway?

According to Wiki it was the mid-90's.

In the mid 90's I was busy recording my girl's childhoods in the form of really bad photos that had to be developed in a store and then put into plastic sleeves in photo albums. Or dropped into shoeboxes and scanned into a computer some 20 years later.

Anyhoo, it is Monday which is good enough for me. I have a bunch of thoughts that don't really add up to a blog post (as evidenced by this post so far) but I'm going to write one anyway.

Ha. That is sooo me.

The weekend. Low key. We needed that. In looking back over the past couple of days I will tell you the highlight was a glorious nap on Sunday afternoon. It was like baby sleep. My hair was matted to my forehead when I woke up.

We ran some errands on Saturday and spent a few hours and a few hundred dollars at our local nursery. I know some of you have had your flowerbeds and pots planted for weeks now, but here in the Northeast its best to wait until Mother's Day has passed. Experience is a great teacher.

We were given two lovely plants from friends and co-workers last week which are perfect for our patio. I like to put pots on the steps but the steps get almost no sun so the choices there are limited. The rest of the back garden gets lots of sun so I have more variety there.

Still a work in progress. I don't line the pots up in a row like they are here although hubs would probably like it if I did. He is all about symmetry and I'm all about hodgepodge. We are quite the team.

Speaking of the mid 90's...that silver box was all the rage once upon a decade. We have ipods and ipads loaded with music but for some reason we like to whip out the old 'boom box' and listen to the radio when we sit on the patio. You just plug it in and hit play. Remember when 'technology' was simple?

This one actually belonged to daughter1 and I spent many an hour, pencil in hand, untangling plastic cassette ribbon back in the day. If you don't know what I'm talking about you're blissfully young.

The weather was spectacular all weekend long. Saturday evening we sat amid the plants and flowers with a glass of wine and some sea salt and pepper cashews. Those cashews just might be my new addiction. The brand is Emerald and no, they're not paying me to advertise. This variety is super salty (don't tell my doctor) which no doubt is why I love them.

Ever since hubs started traveling to Asia he has been hounding me to put an azalea in a pot on the patio. You see that a lot in China and over there they manage to keep them beautifully manicured and, most importantly, alive.

When I see a manicured shrub in a pot I think Karate Kid. I can sort of picture hubs out there tweaking this one and I do love the way it looks. We'll have to see how this goes because he travels and I'm not good with fussy. An azalea in a pot in Northern NJ might be a little bit fussy.

Sunday afternoon (pre-nap in case it matters) hubs and I took the MG for a spin around the lake. We stopped for an ice cream cone (coconut for me and cherry vanilla for him) and sat on the boardwalk while we ate.

This sweet little mama duck with her babes in tow had everybody snapping pictures.

The lake on a sunny spring day is so pretty.

Someone thinks the backyard view is okay too.

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-

All I Wanna Do is Have Some Fun.

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