childhood memories...

Holly created this post and I loved it. I hope that she doesn't mind me borrowing the idea...

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My childhood was different than most people's. I was raised by both sets of grandparents after the age of 6. My mom tried to raise me in Austin...things went bad {this is a story for another time} so my grandparents got custody of me. I was raised in the middle of nowhere. Most of my childhood was spent in the country {which I totally had a love-hate relationship with}...when I was in 5th grade one set of grandparents moved to town {which technically was still in the country but whatev}...I spent my time going back and forth between them. I would stay with one till I got fed-up with them and then went back to the other ones...this continued till I graduated high school. I had no/little contact with my father...though it didn't stop me from always getting my hopes up that he would rejoin my life. Always. My mom wound up moving back to town when I was 13 and started a new family so she was sort-of part of my life. Growing up I had lots of babies...dolls, barbies, stuffed animals. Always had them with me. I had lots of them. I thought that's what I was going to be...a mommy....little did I know the journey I was going to have ahead of me...

• Where/when you born? I was born in Madisonville, TX in August 1978...I was born where my mom and my grandma were born...they drove 1 1/2 hours to make that happen!
  
• Were you born first, second, etc.? I am the oldest...I was the only child for 12 years...then my mom had 4 more kids {3 boys and 1 girl}.
  
• What was your first pet? We had cats, dogs, horses, cows, chickens, etc...lots of animals...my first real pet was the cat I got after Gene and I got married, Rhapsody.
  
• What were you for your first Halloween? This one I am not sure...almost all of my halloween costumes growing up were made my my memoe {dad's mom}...she was amazingly crafty like that {heck still is}...the first halloween I remember I was living with my mom in austin...not sure what I was but I remember not being able to see through the mask and falling {thus starting my clumsiness}.
  
• Was there a gift you really wanted for Christmas that you never received? Usually I wanted something to do with barbies, lol...no specific gift sticks out in my memory...mainly because growing up we never had wishlists since we didn't have much in the way of christmas...they did what they could but we didn't have much.
  
• Did you have any imaginary friends? not really...
  
• What were your favorite books? I loved all the Golden Books, but by the time I was 6/7 I was reading on the 5th grade level so I wound up reading all kinds of books...I loved all the Beverly Cleary, Sweet Valley Twins/High and Babysitters Club books.
  
• What did you wanna be when you grew up? it changed all the time...started with teacher, lawyer, fashion designer, doctor, band director...I never dreamed I would be what I am today...
  
• Favorite after-school, never-missed shows? I loved Disney afternoon- Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Care Bears, Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers. I also really liked Animaniacs and Tiny Toons. I still know all the songs for those shows! {cracks me up that almost all of these shows were what Holly watched too so I kept her answer lol}.
  
• What was your favorite toy? barbies and hot wheels. together. yep. usually played with them both in the sand...I played barbies till I was {ahem} 15...crap, guess my secret is out. Seriously small town/country = not much to do...so I played with barbies.
  
• What was your first best friend's name? My first best friend I don't remember her name...I do remember that her mom was best friends with my moms...from when I was in 2nd grade till I was in 9th grade it was Tina. After her my best friend was Emily for a couple years...then in January of my Junior year Lisa moved to Bremond for me to be her good influence...haha. So we got very close and became inseparable until she moved back to Buffalo.
  
• Broken any bones or had any freaky accidents as a kid? LOTS...lets see when I was 3 {living with my mom} I decided I was hungry and wanted to peel a potato and I wound up cutting my hand badly {lots of stitches needed}...then when I was 5 I fell off our horse onto concrete and busted my head wide open and my girl cousin totally had to give me her shirt cause my boy cousin wouldn't {lol}...then in 2nd grade I broke my right leg {both bones}...after that only sprains {thankfully}.
  
• Did you play house or pretend to be a super hero? Always...I played with my cousin who was 5 years younger than me...we would always play house/barbies and then play that he was He-Man and I was She-Ra...lol
  
• Were you romantically involved with someone as a pre-teen? eh, not really. I pretty much avoided boys...not really, but kinda. I didn't have my first kiss till I was in 8th grade...boys were icky.
  
• Did you get along with your parents growing up? Strangely yes and no...they divorced when I was a baby...but remained friendly for the most part...my parents are better friends now then they ever were.
  
• Were you involved in any extra-curricular activities? If so, what? I was involved in EVERYTHING possible...seriously. I hated being at home and spent all my time at school. I was involved in band since I was in 4th grade...then in high school I did drama, was the mascot my sophomore year, manager for the volleyball and boys/girls basketball team, NHS, anything and everything I could do. Band took up most of my time/energy.
  
• What was the first record, tape or CD you remember buying? My first tape I remember buying was New Kids on the Block...I still have all their songs...it rocks. still. NKOTB4EVER! :)
  
• Did you ever fall in love with someone in high school? Kinda. I don't think it was love...just a crush. A boy I met at a band function and I started dating {long distance} when I was in 10th grade {he was a senior}...We sorta-dated for a little while and then broke it off...I was his first girlfriend...We broke up and my senior year we got back in contact and had a date...it was nice. We were very similar but we went different paths. I still talk to him - he's happily married with a little one...I think he was and always will be my first crush...not love.
  
• Did you enjoy your childhood? Sometimes. A lot of it was amazing...but a lot was a disaster...thankfully I know everything that happened to me made me the woman I am today and for that I am grateful.