First Job - TBT

I am a person who has not had too many jobs, but the story of my very first job is kind of funny.

I was always good with computer design work, even when the only programs available were laughable.  It seems like the first graphic design program I used was called something like Wizard.  It did very little, but I was advanced in it.

The summer before my Junior year, a job came available for a beginner graphic artist at a local advertising company.  I thought that fit me perfectly.  The job also included making those giant banners that you see hanging across the street or tied to a fence around a baseball field.  They put decals on vehicles and made other promotional items.  I love that kind of stuff.

The bad news is that the job was full time.  I interviewed with the owner of the company, a morbidly obese man who was extremely grouchy and smoked like a chimney.  I explained that I could work full time over the summer but would need to go part time once school started.  He said that could be arranged.  I was offered the job right away.

It seems like the job paid around $5 an hour.  This was 1992, so that wasn't bad for a kid my age.  I showed up for work the first day to a literal sweatshop.  It was a garage attached to an office with no windows and no A/C.  The other person who started the same day was a 40-year old man.  I was embarrassed for him that he was doing the same job as me, a high school student.

The old dude could not get the hang of the job.  I caught on right away and was left to work alone.  He needed constant coaching and supervision.  The old dude and the supervisor (the only two people there) both chain smoked.  Smoking was only allowed in the garage, so the two of them took regular breaks to fill their lungs with tar.  Since I didn't smoke, I ended up working about twice as much as they did.

The job was exhausting.  I had never worked before, so 8 hours in a sweatbox was physically draining.  I remember when I took my lunch break, everything in my lunch was warm and my chocolate cookies were melted.  I was too hot to eat anyway.  When I got home, my mom realized the job was too much for me.  She called the supervisor and asked if I could reduce my hours.  After all, 8 hours was a bit much for a high school student. The supervisor said she'd talk to the owner and get back with me.

Me- bottom row, second from the left

We had tickets to a concert that night and were staying overnight in a hotel.  I needed to know what time to be at work in the morning, so we called home to check our messages.  Remember those days?  You used a pay phone, called home, then pushed a certain number to access your answering machine.  There was a message that they didn't need me to come in at all.  I was fired.  The owner thought I was a Junior in college, not a Junior in high school.  Even though I worked harder and better than the other employee, even though I advanced in the first day and they were starting me on computers the next day, and even though I was the best person for the job, they fired me.

Looking back, I certainly could have done something about that.  I was legally old enough to work.  I didn't want the job back though.  I was embarrassed to have to tell people I was fired after my first day.  Now, I think it's funny.  Back then, not so much.  I cried.  The next day, I dropped off the computer manuals they sent me home with and picked up an envelope of cash.

I didn't get another job that summer.  In fact, I didn't get another job until I graduated high school.  It was a job I kept until I started my student teaching.  After graduation, I had two other teaching jobs.  That's it for me with work experience.  I've been a mom now for over 14 years.  I'm very happy with my unemployed status and really enjoy owning my photo booth.  The good thing about being the boss is that I know no one can fire me for a stupid reason.

Throwback Holidays - TBT

Obviously, Bon had this topic scheduled for the week of 4th of July.  I'll answer it anyway.

The only 4th of July I can remember that has anything funny associated with it was when I was a teenager.  Every year, my church had a big picnic for the 4th.  It was a huge deal.  As kids, we played all day, barely seeing our parents, and came home utterly filthy.  Good times.

When I was a teenager, the picnics were spent sitting at the ball fields, watching the guys play softball.  The best was when I got a boyfriend and actually had someone to cheer for.  I remember being 16 or 17 one July 4th when it was really, really hot out.  We had some couple friends, which was a new and exciting thing.  We decided to hang out afterward, since we could.  We had cars now, ya know.

Someone came up with the idea of go-carting.  There were two couples, primarily, that we wanted to hang out with.  A third couple kind of invited themselves.  They were the annoying couple, the people we tolerated because we were good Christians.  Since we couldn't all fit in one car (Actually, I'm kind of surprised that stopped us.  We were stupid.), we decided to split up into two couples per car.  Of course, Hubby and I (Yeah, that was the guy I was dating.  Awwww!) got stuck with the annoying couple.  The girl was older than the guy and he couldn't drive yet, so she offered.  Fine.  We were already ticked about being paired up with them...we decided to just go with the flow.

As we started cruising down the road, the driver rolls down all the windows.  "By the way," she told us, "I don't have air conditioning.  Hee hee!"  Grrrrr.....  this unpleasant experience on this 90 degree day just got much worse.

We made it to the go-cart place, a little worse for the wear, and had a good time.  The time went quickly and we weren't quite done hanging out yet.  My parents had a rec room in our basement, which was always freezing cold.  We made plans to secretly meet there afterward, without inviting the annoying couple.  We drove back to the church, said our goodbyes, then met at my house.  When we went inside, we realized that my parents hadn't turned on the air conditioning that day.  It was horribly hot in that house.  I guess that's what we get for purposely excluding the other couple.

Ah, good times.  6 dating teenagers don't snuggle up too closely when they're hot and stinky from a very warm picnic, car ride, and house.  Hmmm....I might have to remember that one when my kids bring over their dates.

Retro Birthday - TBT

Today's Throwback topic is:
Throwback Birthday!

I always had great birthdays as a kid.  Looking back, my mom didn't spend a lot of money.  She didn't rent petting zoos or magicians and she didn't invite a hundred kids.  My birthday was at the beginning of summer, so it was usually nice outside.  My parties typically involved my parents, brother, and cousins outside playing with water.  I still vividly remember the year we got a Slip & Slide!

My mom always made me a homemade cake of my choosing.  I remember one year that I was very specific.  I wanted a yellow cake with chocolate icing and red writing.  I also wanted a big #8 candle instead of 8 regular candles.  That's exactly what I got.

As a parent, I try to hard to make each birthday unique and memorable.  My birthdays were no big event but they sure were fun!

This was an actual Chuck E. Cheese, not the surprise party.

I remember complaining one year that I never had a surprise party.  Seems like the next day, my mom took me to a place similar to Chuck E. Cheese with some bogus excuse.  Out from underneath the table jumped my brother and cousins.  I'm not sure how I didn't see that one coming.

Now when it came to my 16th birthday party, my mom went all out.  I was allowed to invite the entire youth group from church, which was huge.  My mom moved all the furniture out of the living room to prepare for my Mexican Fiesta.  I remember our coffee table in the middle of the room.  It had a punch bowl on it with something floating in it....shaped ice?  umbrellas?  I can't remember.  She hung colored lights all over the room and turned off the overhead light.  There was Mexican music playing.  She decorated with sombreros and pinatas and served tacos.  I remember is as one of the best nights of my life.  I do remember that the man who is currently my husband did not attend.  I was just starting to get my crush on him.  When I asked him later why he didn't come, the girl who ordered him around, who he thought was his girlfriend, told him he couldn't go.  Nice.

My mom still tries to make my birthday very special.  I appreciate that.  As a mom of 4, I sometimes get overlooked.  June 2 is one day I don't mind taking all the attention and making it all about me.  I'm still a kid at heart.

Throwback Photos

I know you've been on pins and needles since yesterday, wondering which kid in the class picture was me!  Was I homely looking or adorable?  Come on now...I was a cutie!  Check me out!!

First Grade

 Pink Jumper and White Bow

Second Grade 

A crocheted sweater from my great-grandma and pigtails

Fifth Grade

I've got braids going on and some sort of loudly printed shirt, which I loved!

Also, I found Shawn from Kindergarten, the one who smelled like eggs.

I'm on the left and he's on the right.  Ah, the bowl cut!  Girls sported it too (see chick in the red jumper.)

Romance on the Playground - TBT

Today's Throwback topic (courtesy of Bon) is:

Elementary School Crush

Hmmm...not sure I'm willing to go back THAT far!  The only boy I can remember liking in elementary school was named Ricky.  He had one of those bowl cuts that most boys in the early 80s had.  I remember when he got a regular haircut.  I thought he looked weird and I quit liking him.  I do remember him exposing himself in third grade and the huge deal that was made over it.  The principal came in and talked to us and I got a long talking to by my mom.  Back then, I didn't really see the big deal.  I had a brother...I knew what was up.  I haven't heard boo from him since graduation.  Wonder if he's a pedophile or anything???

In Kindergarten, this kid named Shawn apparently had a crush on me.  He smelled like spoiled eggs.  He leaned over one day and planed a kiss right on me.  I was appalled.  I turned to the person next to me and made him switch me seats.  I don't believe I ever spoke to the kid again....not that I spoke much at that age anyway.

Those two stories make up the entire romance chapter of my elementary school years.  What about you???

Second Grade - Can you tell which one is me?

Fifth Grade

Throwback Thursday

I discovered this post on a fun little blog called The Life of Bon.  Unfortunately, I found it a bit too late to participate.  I'm weird this way- if I can't be a part from the beginning, I don't want to play.  This is the reason why I'm not watching Psych like everyone else.  I didn't watch it the first several seasons and I'm worried I'll be lost if I start now.  Hmmm....there's got to be a deeper meaning there, psychology majors!

Anyhow, Bon made a list of TBT (Throwback Thursday) topics to be discussed for the entire summer.  Fun and interesting stories popped into my head immediately for most of these topics.  So, is it wrong to steal her idea, if I totally give her credit for it?  Probably, but I'm feeling quite the rebel today.  

Of course, I want all of you to join along!  You can post about it on your blog, if you want, or you can just share your story in my comment section.  I thought it would be lots of fun to read about everyone else's coming of age time!

Here's her list...so we'll take it one topic at a time:

A memory of learning to drive, your first car or the early driving days.

Elementary school crush

Throwback birthday

Throwback fourth of July

First job

Moving away from home

Memory of one or both of your parents from childhood

Favorite summer vacation

Childhood friends

First kiss

Memory of a high school teacher or high school class

Back to school memory

All Things Driving:

I don't actually have too many memories of learning to drive.  I took driving in Summer School, since my birthday was in June.  For one month, we had a couple hours of instruction, five days a week.  That sounds crazy now!  Today's kids have to have all these logged hours of driving with a licensed driver.

Soon after I got my license, my mom suffered some health problems.  She was unable to drive for a year.  I became the primary driver for our family, at least when my dad was working.  I chauffeured my brother to his activities, took my mom to the grocery store, and did everything else that needed done.  So my first car was the family station wagon.   It was sweet, yo!

My parents got the opportunity to buy a Toyota Tercel from an elderly lady in our church, but it was stick shift.  They offered it to me, of course, but I turned it down.  I had very little confidence that I'd be able to drive a stick.  My brother got the car, and he wasn't even 16 yet.  Even though I made the decision, I was totally jealous.  Then my boyfriend, Hubby attempted to teach me to drive stick.  It did NOT go well.  I threw my hands up in the air, took my feet off of all pedals and told him to make the car stop.  I stormed away from the car and never got behind the wheel of a stick shift again.  I wonder if I could do it now?  The cool this about this picture is that it was taken in my mom's driveway.  In the background, you can see the house where I currently live.  That's my great aunt standing in the driveway.  Things have changed a bit since then, but that's where I live!  Neat, huh?

The first car that was totally mine was a 1984 Dodge 600.  It was a piece of junk but I loved it!  I named it Stormy because it was the color of a storm cloud and sounded like thunder.  

So, those are my early driving stories.  What do y'all have???