day 82: 36 years.

I was born at 7:58 a.m. on this day, 36 years ago.

It's very hard for me to believe that I have been on this earth that long. I still remember riding my red tricycle down my driveway, wearing a little white cardigan with green horizontal stripes and my black patent leather t-strap Sunday shoes.

I remember the Christmas when I got my Strawberry Shortcake house that smelled so sweet. It was the same Christmas that I got a little Mickey Mouse watch. I remember wanting the Strawberry Shortcake digital watch (digital watches were the new big thing it seemed) but I have a feeling my parents had a hard time finding it or it was too expensive. The Strawberry Shortcake house more than made up for it. That thing saw years of use.

I remember sitting in the den countless times listening to Minnie Riperton and Dionne Warwick albums, along with a lot of Isaac Hayes and George Benson.

I remember pretending to be Wonder Woman in the front yard.

And wearing a t-shirt on my head like it was long hair and pretending to be Diana Ross in my bedroom, standing in front of a mirror with a hairbrush microphone in hand, tossing my "hair" back and forth.

I remember going to see Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back at the drive-in with my parents.

I remember trying to break dance on my kitchen floor.

And all of those times I helped my mother make the meatloaf and cornbread.

So so many memories. Way too many to list here, but those are just a few of the many fond ones. It's just so bizarre that I've got 36 years worth of memories.

I really have lived a rich life so far. Even with all of its tragedies and heartaches (losing my father at age eleven, going through a few years with no close friends, suffering a broken heart at the hands of my first love, suffering another broken heart and a broken family years later after a painful divorce), I can thankfully say that the good times in my life far outweigh the bad ones.

I now, 36 years after entering this world, have a wonderful husband, a beautiful and happy family, good friends, and simple interests that give me immense joy. Thank you, Lord, for all that you have done for me.

The photo displays some lovely pumpkin tarts that I bought at the grocery store to share with my students today. I took it with my iPhone and processed it using CameraBag.

Digital Field Guide: pages 70-71. Again.

Images: it's not a cabaret on Flickr