For me it was the day of registration for my 2nd grade year at Fresno Adventist Academy. I was there with my Mom, she was the librarian at my school so she already knew all the teachers and as my sister had gone through those doors only three years before she was chatting away to my soon to be teacher like they were long lost friends. But if I remember correctly that lady burned a lot bridges because she spanked a kid later that year. I was born in 1989 so if you do the math that is way past corporal punishment in schools being lifted, needless to say I don't think she taught much longer.
I surveyed the room making note of how many bouncy balls they had in the play bin, the playground currency at the time. I think half way through the year it switched to soccer balls.
The inspirational posters on the walls of fluffy orangoutang babies hanging from a tree that sang out cliched quotes like "Hang in there" which of course I found very humorous at the time as it was my first impression of such a clever anecdote.
The faded yellow paper ruler hanging on the wall were I presumed we could measure our heights. I noticed there weren't any counting blocks in this class room like I had in 1st grade. As I pondered how I was going to grow more fingers in order to compensate for the lack of counting blocks (I was never to good at the maths) I saw a young mother with jet black hair come in through the door looking flustered with two little Japanese girls in toe.
I immediately thought the taller of the two was the oldest but proceeded to watch as the littler one bossed the bigger one around as if she was in charge. I wondered what would happen if I talked to my older sisters like that.
"Jill no, we are in my classroom now, you can't go to class in this room. You're in the 1st grade classroom remember. Mom tell Jill that she can't go to class in here, she's trying to pick out a desk."
I noticed their matching Mickey Mouse t-shirts, or maybe they were just Disney themed, and was immediately jealous. At that time if you had one of those t-shirts it usually meant you had been to Disneyland. I had been to Disneyland when I was two years old, or so I was repeatedly told when I asked if I could go.
I finally went to Disneyland when I was 16 and got the Mickey ears and the whole sha-bang and despite what my parents told me it WAS the happiest place on Earth, just saying.
Despite my jealousy toward this little creature I took note of how patient she was with her little big sister and I knew I liked her.
My mom stopped her conversation to include the new comers, they introduced themselves and I heard her name for the first time. Jessica, her mom said it with an extra annunciated "CA" at the end, she still does that.
I find it funny that I even remember this encounter because try as I might I cannot remember one other registration day that I experienced throughout my schooling experience. And I didn't know then that this little girl would be the person I shared every thought and experience with for the rest of my life.
I guess thats where the love at first site comes in, my heart knew this little person was special and that I needed to store that memory away in a safe place so it wouldn't ever get lost.
Shortly after school started, it could have been the first day, I'm not sure, we had a rendezvous on the top of the jungle gym, which became 'our spot' and we decided or rather I decided (I was a bit of a pushy thing) that I liked this JessiCA and we should be friends. She complied.
And now as a forever side affect I can't pass a set of Mickey Ears without smiling.
I surveyed the room making note of how many bouncy balls they had in the play bin, the playground currency at the time. I think half way through the year it switched to soccer balls.
The inspirational posters on the walls of fluffy orangoutang babies hanging from a tree that sang out cliched quotes like "Hang in there" which of course I found very humorous at the time as it was my first impression of such a clever anecdote.
The faded yellow paper ruler hanging on the wall were I presumed we could measure our heights. I noticed there weren't any counting blocks in this class room like I had in 1st grade. As I pondered how I was going to grow more fingers in order to compensate for the lack of counting blocks (I was never to good at the maths) I saw a young mother with jet black hair come in through the door looking flustered with two little Japanese girls in toe.
I immediately thought the taller of the two was the oldest but proceeded to watch as the littler one bossed the bigger one around as if she was in charge. I wondered what would happen if I talked to my older sisters like that.
"Jill no, we are in my classroom now, you can't go to class in this room. You're in the 1st grade classroom remember. Mom tell Jill that she can't go to class in here, she's trying to pick out a desk."
I noticed their matching Mickey Mouse t-shirts, or maybe they were just Disney themed, and was immediately jealous. At that time if you had one of those t-shirts it usually meant you had been to Disneyland. I had been to Disneyland when I was two years old, or so I was repeatedly told when I asked if I could go.
I finally went to Disneyland when I was 16 and got the Mickey ears and the whole sha-bang and despite what my parents told me it WAS the happiest place on Earth, just saying.
Despite my jealousy toward this little creature I took note of how patient she was with her little big sister and I knew I liked her.
My mom stopped her conversation to include the new comers, they introduced themselves and I heard her name for the first time. Jessica, her mom said it with an extra annunciated "CA" at the end, she still does that.
I find it funny that I even remember this encounter because try as I might I cannot remember one other registration day that I experienced throughout my schooling experience. And I didn't know then that this little girl would be the person I shared every thought and experience with for the rest of my life.
I guess thats where the love at first site comes in, my heart knew this little person was special and that I needed to store that memory away in a safe place so it wouldn't ever get lost.
Shortly after school started, it could have been the first day, I'm not sure, we had a rendezvous on the top of the jungle gym, which became 'our spot' and we decided or rather I decided (I was a bit of a pushy thing) that I liked this JessiCA and we should be friends. She complied.
And now as a forever side affect I can't pass a set of Mickey Ears without smiling.
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| Littler Nerds - I think about 7 or 8 |
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| Big Nerds - Day before my wedding in Aus, age 22 |
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