memory lane

While visiting "The Little Apple" last week, I couldn't help but drive Preston around and show him my old stompin' grounds. I thought I'd spread the love to ya'll too.

We lived in Kansas and check out out the name of our circle...It is funny, I believe, that we lived in Kansas on "Oz Circle", but the even more ironic part of the story is that I'm from Kansas and I've never seen "The Wizard of Oz" in it's entirety. So I truly have no idea why people always say, "Dorothy, You're not in Kansas anymore", when I tell them where I'm from. I just know it gets annoying.

This is the elementary school I attended. Driving by brought back memories of being on the "Jumping Pandas" jump rope team....I once was the grand finale of the big show, doing a flip off my friend's back into double dutch jump ropes (I can hear the cheering now). I also remember that brick wall out front as being HUGE and barely being able to climb it....now it looks so short as an adult. My favorite teacher ever was Mrs. Reinhardt.....she let us make signs to protest a mean recess aide that we referred to as "Wallflower" (he didn't do his job). She also wore Forenza and Outback Red when they were the hottest brands around (most 10 year olds wouldn't know that, but my sister had a locked closet full of it).

This is the JCPenney that my dad managed. I loved going early with him and shopping before the store opened. There's no need for a dressing room when you're the only one in the store. When I was in 5th grade a few of my friends and I decided to take some change out of the fountain outside my dad's store. We got caught by mall police and couldn't go back to the mall until our parents talked to the mall manager. I was humiliated that my dad had to talk to the mall manager, whom he worked with daily, about his dishonest daughter. We just wanted some candy, that's all.

There's one of these puppies on every corner in town... (Don't ya love the motto on the signage?) Friends and I would walk to one of these to fill up our old plastic cups for just $.52 with Dr. Dew (a mix of Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew....you want to try it now, don't you?). This is where my pop addiction started.

Movies. The only entertainment (minus the Wildcats) in Manhattan, Kansas. This is where I first held hands with a boy in the back row of a movie theater.

Most of my free time was spent here, at Optimist Park, as a catcher and right fielder for the Bullets, our fast-pitch traveling softball team. Best friends were made. Lessons were learned.
I could go on and on, but I'm sure you've heard enough, just like Preston had. He always thinks of Manhattan as a boring, small town (without mountains to explore), but as a 10 year old girl it seemed plenty big to me. I'm grateful that I was able to grow up in a small town and glad that I still get to go back and visit from time to time.