Always & Forever New Kids Fans

~a post from the teeny-bopper heart of Chrissy~ Ever since Alicia’s post last year about going to see Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch together when we were teenagers, I have been meaning to write about our shared love for the New Kids on the Block.   It was actually much more then just love, we were absolutely ga-ga for those boys.  My brother once told me, years later, he was actually a little bit scared for me when I was in the height of my NKOTB craze because of how intensely I obsessed about them.  I lived, breathed and dreamed them from the 8th through 10th grade.   My NKOTB hysteria all began when I first heard “Please Don’t Go Girl” on the radio.  I didn’t know who they were, I just knew I had to find out and fast!  There was no going back after I saw a picture of them, discovering they were five, incredibly cute, teenage boys!  Oh, be still my rapidly beating teenage heart!!!!

Who’s the dork posing with her Joe McIntyre poster? Why, that would be me (age 14)!

Every girl who was a New Kid fan gravitated to her own particular favorite.  Alicia and I were no different.  We were both going to marry Joey Joe.  I’m not sure logistically how that was going to work out for both of us, but I’m glad we never did have the opportunity to find out.  It just might have ruined our friendship if Joe actually had picked one or the other of us. GASP…. LOL!  The funny thing is, now that I think about it, Joe was the only guy the both of us ever jointly fell for in all our years as friends.  I think it was those gorgeous blue eyes and his oh so sweet voice that did us both in.  Sigh!!!!

It’s pretty funny how wholly I surrounded myself with the New Kids in those days, so much so that when I think back to those years of my life I can’t do it without thinking about NKOTB, too.  I had posters up all over my wall. I blared their music from my cute, purple boom box over and over again.  I had t-shirts, buttons, books, magazines, video tapes, and anything else I could get my hands on.  Alicia had a lot of the same things as I did, but she also had a Joe doll which I was extremely jealous of!  Another thing we both did at the time was designate VHS tapes specifically for recording anything we happened to see on TV with the New Kids on it.  We filled those tapes with their appearances on Friday Night Video’s, talk show’s, commercials, the Grammy’s, MTV interview’s, and everything in between.  I think I might still have one of my tapes somewhere deep in a box.  Alicia recently came across one of hers.  As you can see in the photo above, she was (and still is) very organized, listing the exact “counter” marks of each show she had recorded!

Who is this other dork posing in front of her New Kids posters? Why, that is Alicia! Circa 1990

The New Kids on the Block had a definite allure about them which drew us girls to them.  It didn’t hurt that they were absolutely adorable, but that wasn’t the only reason we loved them.  The guys had a unique chemistry with each other and with their fans.   I can remember, sitting high up in the stands, far away from the stage at their concerts, and yet still feeling as if the guys actually made a direct connection with me.  It was like at some point or other during the show, each and every guy on stage made eye contact with me, which is literally impossible, but they just had a way of making each and every fan feel individually special and appreciated.  In my book, that is pretty darn cool.  Being a New Kid fan, is just fun….plain and simple!

Once a New Kids fan, always a New Kids fan! (circa Christmas 2012)

There is one thing Alicia and I always wanted to do but never got a chance to do with each other, which is to see the New Kids in concert together.  I’ve been able to see them a handful of times now.  As a teen, I went to a different high school for my Freshman and Sophomore year then Alicia, so I saw them in concert with my some of my friends from there.  A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see them in concert again, but Alicia was living on the West Coast at that time and couldn’t go with.  Actually, Alicia has yet to have the opportunity to see them in concert at all. The clouds never did align for her to go see them, but that is all about to change this summer!  Drumroll please………..Now that Alicia is living within a day’s driving distance, we were able to work it out so we can meet up in KC to see the guys, along with Boys II Men and 98 degrees!!!!  Believe me, we are absolutely bubbling with excitement about getting the chance to roll the clocks back, and become pre-teen screaming girls once again for a night!!!

~Chrissy

PS- Here is their newest single “Remix (I like the)”.  It’s a great, catchy tune and the video is pretty darn cool, too!!!

Happy New Year from Once Upon a Friendship

Alicia and I would like to thank everyone who stopped by our site over this past year to see what we had to say.  Our first year of blogging seems to have flown by alarmingly fast.   We’ve had such a blast sharing our thoughts, stories, hopes, dreams, and obsessions with our readers.   When we first had this idea to begin a blog, both of us thought it would be a peice of cake to think up and write posts on a continual basis.  Wow, were we wrong.  It’s darn tough to not only come up with topics to write about but also to find the time to sit down and do it!  All in all, it has been a lot of fun and we look forward to blogging in 2013.

Happy New Year!!!!

~Chrissy & Alicia

2012 Holiday Gift Ideas for your BFF

~All wrapped up in pretty, sparkly paper and set under your tree by Chrissy~

2012 Gift Ideas for your BFF by onceuponafriendship

*I fell in love with the sweet cursive lettering on this BFF necklace by Gauge. At $80, it is by far the most expensive item on my list but your BFF’s worth it, isn’t she?

* The jewel Faceted Friendship Bracelet by Anthropologie is a throwback to those girlhood years when making and trading friendship bracelets were all the rage. The fancy, vintage looking, costume jewelry updates this friendship bracelet for your grown up BFF. At only $18 it’s perfect to wear with a t-shirt and jeans or with a cute party dress on New Years Eve!
* As all BFF’s know, rules are made to be skirted! Wether your co-conspirator (a.k.a. BFF) uses this sweet pink mug for coffee, hot cocoa or tea, she’ll feel like a million bucks sipping from this designer label, Kate Spade, mug. The best part is, it only costs $20.  Kate Spade New York ‘say The Word – Skirt The Rules’ Porcelain Mug from Nordstom’s

*These Best Friends hats are perfect for a winter shopping excursion. Who better to shop those after Christmas sales with then your BFF. Sporting these fun, whimsical hats (just $29.99 for the pair) you’ll be sure to spot each other if you get lost in a crowd.  Band of Outsiders Hats : Target

*These canvas tote bags are chic yet versatile. I can’t even begin to tell you how much use your friend will get from toting around this adorable bag!  BFF Tote Bag from cafepress.com

Happy Shopping & Happy Holidays!

~Chrissy

**FYI- I was in no way, shape or form paid to promote any of these products.  I spent my morning scouring the wonderful world of the internet for some fun ideas!!!

Mixed Tape Playlist for Your BFF

~a mixed tape creation by Chrissy~

I know it dates me but I really loved mixed tapes.  They were so thoughtful and took a heck of a lot of effort to make.  The song quality wasn’t the greatest, and yet they were pretty darn amazing because they meant something meaningful.  This was especially true if someone else made you your very own, one of a kind, mix.  Those tapes truly made you feel gloriously special whenever you listened to it.  Nowadays, with itunes and mp3’s, those mixed tape-like playlists have become a heck of a lot easier to make.   We’ve all got our playlists now for working out, cleaning the house, or just plain rocking out!

On my way to my homeship Target this past weekend, I happened upon a song on the radio about best friends.  The song was Oath by Cher Lloyd.  It’s a cute, upbeat kind of song.   I immediately thought of Alicia as I was bopping my head along with the beat.  In between head bops, I got to thinking about making my own BFF playlist, filled with songs that make me think about all my best girlfriends!  I’ll undoubtedly fill it up with an ungodly amount of songs over the days to come, as there are tons of songs out there that call to mind my amazing group of friends. For the sake of my post, I’ll just touch on a handful of my favorite songs to make my BFF list. You’ll probably notice I am heavily influenced by movies/tv.  Ever since I was a girl, I’ve been introduced to many great songs from the movies and tv shows I watch.   I’m a big fan of movie soundtracks!

1.  Joe Cocker “With A Little Help of My Friends” –  Originally a song by the Beatles, the Joe Cocker version was also the theme song for the “Wonder Years” tv show.

2. White Stripes “We’re Going to Be Friends” – What can I say about this song?  It is pretty freaking awesome.  If it sounds familiar but you can’t quite place why, it was part of the soundtrack for the movie Napoleon Dynamite.  That’s just a wee bit of pop trivia for you!

3. Ben E King “Stand by Me” – A classic song, that withstands the test of time.  It is also the theme to a movie by the same name.  If you haven’t seen the movie, please rent it right now.  It is such a great coming of age story about friendship.  Love it!

4. Weezer “My Best Friend” – I was first introduced to Weezer when I heard “The Sweater Song” in college.  What’s not to like about a song about sweaters?  Absolutely nothing!!!  I might have to put that one on a Winter Weather playlist.  I’m veering off course a bit here.  Anyhoo, “My Best Friend” very simply and sweetly, says it all.

4.  Green Day “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” –  The title doesn’t sound at all friendly, I know, but this song is one of my favorite songs of all time.  Green Day just so happens to be one of my favorite groups of all time, too.  To me, this song brings to mind memories of the good times shared with my friends/family/what have you.   It is especially enduring to me because of a wedding gift I received from Alicia.  She (with a lot of help from her brother Brian) made a photo slideshow of her and I growing up together, all set to music.  “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” was one of the songs she used.  I guess it was kind of like her mixed tape to me but with pictures! Whatever the case, it is one of my most favorite gifts, ever!!!

6. Natalie Merchant “Kind & Generous” – I told Alicia once that if she had a theme song, this would be hers.  She is exactly who this song was written about!  Everyone should have a person in there life who brings to mind this song and I think it should be your best friend!  Love you girl!!!

7.  They Might Be Giants “Birdhouse in Your Soul” – My friend, Becky first introduced me to They Might Be Giants.  All their songs are very silly and whimsical.  You can’t listen to them without smiling and laughing.  “I’m a little glowing friend”  Love that!

8. Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings” –  A song from the movie Beaches, which if you haven’t seen it is a beautifully touching story about two best friends.   I’m might just cry thinking about this movie.  Ahhh…..so sad.   I have to warn you, if you click the link to the song have a box of tissues ready.   You’re going to need them!

9. The Rembrandts “I’ll Be There For You” – This is probably one of the very first songs I thought of when making my playlist.  “Friends” is my all time favorite tv show.  I’ve probably watched every episode a zillion times.  I could watch them a zillion more as they never get old.  The Rembrandts song is now and  forever ingrained in my head to symbolize my friends (Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and my real friends, of course, too).

10.  ABBA “Dancing Queen” – My BFF playlist would not be complete without this song.  Dancing Queen is truly a beloved favorite in my group of girlfriends.  If we are all together and this song comes on, I don’t think it’s possible for us all to not get up and hit the dance floor.  We’re all glorious Dancing Queens!

~Chrissy

*Image from Photobucket

The Art of Passing Notes

~Folded up, nice & tightly, & passed on to our readers by Chrissy~

When Alicia and I were in High School, passing notes throughout a school day was one of our favorite pastimes.  We didn’t have many classes together.  Of course, as you can well imagine, this meant there was a multitude of riveting and important information buzzing around our heads, which absolutely could not wait until lunch, or the bus ride home, for us to spill the beans on.   We  just had to put pen to paper, in between paying attention to what our teachers were saying, and compose pretty fantastic musings of all things important to a teenage girl.

Thanks to Alicia, and her amazing ability to hold onto things of sentimental value, a number of our highly engrossing and profound notes to one another have survived, unscathed, over the years.  I have to tell you, I am insanely happy Alicia held on to them.  It is an absolute hoot to look back at thoughts and contemplations of our lives back in High School.  The photo below is a little peek at a note I wrote from back in April of 1992.

One of my highly “profound”, somewhat erratic, musings from High School. I actually make references to Fraggle Rock, a Door’s song and a Doogie Howser episode, in what reads like a span of one breath. 🙂

Looking back, there are a few key details I can remember from our note writing days:

1.  You had to be very careful when passing notes in school.  Not only could a teacher confiscate your note but it could very well get into the wrong hands, the consequence of which could be mortifying.  Case in point, Molly Ringwald‘s character in Sixteen Candles.  She was sharing secrets between friends in class when the very person she admitted to wanting to “do it” with, happens to get his hands on that very note!  AHHHH….the teenage horror!!!!  Maybe it was a lesson learned from seeing this movie, but at some point in time, Alicia and I began using pseudonyms for any of the guys we mentioned in our notes.

2.  Folding a note to pass off was a definite art.  We developed all sorts of ways to fold and seal a note in an oragami type way.  In no way, shape, or form did this mean our notes resembled cranes or any other animal.  We just wanted our notes to be as small as possible and to stay closed until opened willingly.

3.  From time to time, writing the note was a thing of creatvity and imagination.  There were lots of different ways to change-up a note.  We would write all the words backwards or draw pictures instead of words.  I particularly delighted in writing them in a spiral pattern forcing Alicia to turn the paper around as she would read it!

I’m not sure if kids these days still pass notes in school.  I would imagine text messaging and emails have replaced, or at least, greatly decreased the use of notes to communicate with friends during school.  I will always hold onto a fondness for the art of passing notes, but I can’t help but admit if we had the technology kids have at their disposal these days, we would have been all over it!

Besides Birthday or Special Occasion cards, it has been years since I actually sent Alicia a letter in the mail.  The last time was probably in college.  Email is so much more convenient and instantaneous.  My note took almost a week to reach her!  This is largely due to the fact that I, having been inspired by this post,  folded it up nice and tightly, like we did in High School.  The US Postal service doesn’t do well with strange, bulky and odd-shaped letters!  It did finally get there though and let me tell you she was very surprised and tickled pink about it!

Having read this post, I would like to challenge you to send a friend your own handwritten note!  I don’t know about you but I think It is always fun to surprise your friends.  The more unique the surprise, the better, and your friend will never expect something like this to show up in their mailbox.  Be sill, be dorky and make your BFF’s day!!!

~Chrissy

Friday the 13th

My brother on Halloween in the late 80’s.

Be sure to avoid all black cats, ladders, mirrors and guys with ski masks today.  Knock on all the wood you can find, and keep your eyes peeled for pennies on the sidewalk cause you’re gonna need all the good luck you can get….it’s Friday the 13th!In actuality, I’m not really the superstitious type.  What comes to mind for me everytime this day roles around the classic 80’s movie named after this day.  I would be willing to bet most people born in the 1990’s or earlier will also think about a very creepy guy named Jason, at least once today.

Scary movies and I aren’t friends.  They pretty much scare the bejeezus out of me.   A scary movie doesn’t just scare me when I am sitting in the theater.  My terror continues well into the night when I am snuggled all comfy, cozy in my bed with the covers pulled all the way up over my head.  You have to be completely under the covers because it’s a fact that if the monsters come for you, they can only get you if any part of you is outside of the covers! 🙂

Once I actually fall asleep, that doesn’t mean I am safe.  One of my most memorable nightmares was due to a scary movie that I hadn’t even seen.  It was 1999 and my roommate at the time, Becky, had just come back to our apartment after seeing “The Blair Witch Project“.  There was quite a bit of buzz about this movie when it came out.  I was a little bit curious about it, even though I had no plans to ever see it myself so I asked her to tell me about it.  She must have described the ending particularly well because later that night, I dreamed my very own disturbing version of the ending.  AHHH!!!  I woke me up in a heightened state of sheer panic.  My heart was beating a million beats a minute and I think I might have even screamed out.  I literally couldn’t even take my head out from under the covers the rest of the night cause I was terribly certain the Blair Witch was somewhere in my bedroom waiting for me!!  It was awful!!!

As you can well imagine, I don’t end up watching too many scary movies.  I’ve honestly never even seen Friday the 13th in its entirety.  I’ve only caught small bits and pieces of it over the years.  Of the scary movies I have seen, the scariest would have to be “Candyman.”  Alicia and I went and saw it together when we were in High School.  Why we did this is kind of a condundrum for me.  We didn’t go see it with a date.  (We did see “The People Under the Stairs” with dates, but that was so completely cheesy it didn’t scare me one bit, besides I was so nervous sitting next to a guy in a darkened theater that I wasn’t able to pay much attention to the movie anyway.)  Maybe it was a moment of bravery on my part, but whatever the reason behind going to see Candyman was, I was so spooked afterwards I wouldn’t let Alicia leave my side the rest of the day.  I mean that literally, too.  Bathrooms have mirrors in them, you know, and mirrors have the Candyman in them!  She was even such a good sport that she slept over and didn’t complain one bit that I had left my overhead light blazing bright all night.

These days, I tend to steer clear of the scary movies which leaves my husband, who enjoys them all by himself if he wants to watch one. (One of his other enjoyments is scaring me as much possible.  As you would imagine, this isn’t very hard to do at all!)  I have to tell you, I feel like a total wussy being in my thirties and completely terrified of something, as silly as, a make believe movie.

Maybe it’s time to see if I can get past my irrational fears of Hollywood monsters?  I wonder if  having become older and wiser,  I can make it through the entire film without screaming and running out of the room.  I can’t promise I won’t be watching the majority of the movie through the cracks of my fingers covering my eyes, but I’d like to at least give scary movies another go.  I’m pretty sure that most movies which scared me from my childhood probably wouldn’t today so I could proably get through most of them unscathed.  If you have recommendations for some really good scary movies leave me a comment, just don’t say Paranormal Activity, because I can’t even watch the previews for that one without being completely freaked out!

~Chrissy

“Magic Mike”, One Big Estrogen Filled Night Out with the Girls!

A couple of friends and I have been planning to see Magic Mike since the first preview came out.  This movie quickly became a big event for women everywhere.   It’s not hard to figure out why.  The movie is totally designed with all of us ladies in mind.  It has Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Alcide from True Blood (or also known as, Joe Manganello) and a few other really good looking men, dancing, gyrating and taking off bits of clothing throughout much of the movie.  I mean, what’s not to like about that?

My girlfriends and I decided to make our movie night into a Girl’s Night Out with drinks and dinner beforehand.  Since it was opening night, and being the very smart ladies we are, we decided to purchase our tickets early so we didn’t have to hurry through dinner.  This was the smart part, what wasn’t so smart was deciding to walk around the mall for a bit, then wander into the theater 10 minutes before it started.  The theater was completely packed with hundreds of other ladies on their own Girl’s Night, and a small sprinkling of about 5 men (we counted).  We wandered around the top half of the theater asking if seats, with purses and sweaters thrown on them, were saved for a few minutes with no luck.  Our only option for seats was two rows from the screen next to the wall.  Our range of view was limited and our necks had cricks in them by the time the movie was over, but we had a great time none-the-less.

Before the movie began, my friends and I were laughing a bit about how all the other ladies in the audience were all middle aged and older.  Whoops, wait a second what were we laughing about?  We fall into the category of middle aged as well!  Sometimes its really hard to remember how old you are when you still feel like you’re only 21.   All of a sudden, the lights dimmed and the anticipation began to build as we sat through 20 minutes of previews, of which I can’t remember one title, but they all looked pretty funny.  Finally, the movie beings, to the thrill and cheers of this now massive estrogen ladden Girl’s Night Out.  Matthew McConaughey is standing on the stage, shirtless and with tight, thight black leather pants on.  We’re all waiting for the stripping to start.  That’s what we all came for right?  We can feel it coming.  Matthew is establishing the rules of the club.  “The law says you can not touch, but I see a lot of lawbreakers in this house…”  YES, we’re all naughty lawbreakers, Matthew.  START DANCING already!!!!  The screen goes black with JUNE in big scroll letters.  What? …..Wait…..NOOOOO.  Where’s the dancing?  Oh wait a second…..Channing Tatum just got out of bed and…..he’s naked and we get to see a glimpse of his nice round butt…. SCORE!!!!  Whoops and cheers erupt in the theater.  Next shot, was Olivia Munn’s breasts.  Boo’s ensue from the crowd.  Not because we had anything against Olivia’s boobs.  Not at all, they are very nice, but this is a crowd full of ladies who see boobs every stinking day.  We want the men!!!!

The story line wasn’t bad, although I would have really enjoyed more of a focus and build-up for the romance between Magic Mike and Brooke.  A great romance movie mixed with the male stripping would have really put this movie over the top!   I can honestly say I was wasn’t there for a story though.  I was there purely for the enjoyment of seeing hot, scantilly clad men perform.  This movie had did not disappoint in this department one bit.   The only thing that really disappointed my friends and I was the fact that we didn’t get to see the whole picture very clearly.  Because of our odd, up close and personal, position in the theater, we were only able to focus on one thing at a time, so I know we missed out on some really good views!

My recommendation to all you ladies out there, who are wanting a bit of fun and fantasy in a darkened theater filled with other women just like you, go see this movie, whoop it up and have some fun!  At the end of the movie, my friend Becky turned to me and said, “What do you want to bet the majority of these women are fans of 50 Shade of Grey?”  You know what?  I betcha she’s right.  I think this movie and the S&M, fantasy filled book that is 50 Shades of Grey, are all of us ladies way of relaxing our inhibitions and being total “guys” for a change.  Every so often, it is really kind of fun to be the oggler’s and not the ogglie’s for a change.  😉

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

As I write this post, I am laying in my warm, cozy bed at 3 o’clock in the morning.  I am waiting for the Sweet Dream Fairies (as my daughter and I call them) to come visit me.

Why am I awake at this crazy hour?  I can no longer say it is because I am nursing a baby or walking the halls with a croupy toddler.  For some reason, I am just wide awake, hanging out in the silent house, waiting for sleep to come.

Any-who, I don’t know about any one else who experiences this but I always find myself inspired to DO something during these awake-all-night-adventures.  I think: “Oh!  I will start that book I have wanted to write!”  or “I will enter an essay contest” or “I will start to send out all my picture shares that I am months behind on.”  (For my close peeps, you now understand why you get 4 emails at a time with picture shares! Ha ha!)

The problem I have with these midnight adventures is that I don’t usually follow through with my grand plans the next day.  I don’t start my book because I have too many topics to choose from.  I will write the essay, but won’t have the inspired courage to send it the next day.

I can say, however, that I did send in one midnight essay over 15 years ago.  It was for the local newspaper and they wanted to know why people in our community  loved their neighborhood.  That was a piece of cake because Chrissy and I grew up in the BEST neighborhood in the world!  So I wrote about how Chrissy and I grew up, spending many nights in our youth, sitting on our front porches.  My essay started off saying “My Best Friend Chrissy and I were sitting on my front porch one summer night…”.  We would share our dreams, create new ones, and watch the world in front of us.  Guess what?  I won!  The newspaper picked 7 entries and did a front page spread on me, my essay, my neighborhood and all of its wonderful history!  I was so excited, proud and shocked!  It was an awesome experience.

I probably should have asked Chrissy if she minded that I was using her in my essay because the end result was the newspaper wanting to photograph us both in front of my parents’ house.  I have a tendency to throw her into the lime light at times.  While she isn’t crazy about all the attention, she has learned to just go with it for my sake.  (One of the many reasons I’m blessed to have her in my life and one of the many reasons why I love her so much!)   Here is the picture the newspaper took of me and Chrissy for the article.  It was taken back in the early 90’s, in front of my parents house.

So much has happened since then, but Chrissy and I make it a point to still sit on our parent’s porches when I visit because we don’t want to forget the past and we always keep dreaming. In fact, we have a date to do just that wen I visit home this summer.  And on that note my friends, I am going to try to sleep and find some new dreams of my own!  Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite!

~Alicia

Slang Words with Friends

I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy using slang. I think it’s fun and can really liven up conversations a bit, sometimes even making you feel or sound smarter! So what exactly is slang and what is it good for? Slang is a totally tubular way of communicating with the people in our life. How’s that for a definition? Sums it up nicely, I think but if you’d like the more boring, literal definition then Websters Dictionary defines slang as a language peculiar to a particular group of people; as well as, an informal nonstandard vocabulary composed typically of coinages, arbitrarily changed words, and extravagant, forced, or facetious figures of speech. 

Slang has many uses, in all parts of your life.  It can be words and phrases that are in popular usage by society at a point in time, inside jokes, the lingo used in your particular field of work, or even something of your very own unique creation used only among one or more of your friends. Pretty darn cool, dontcha think? One of the most significant reasons we use slang is as way of developing a camaraderie with others.  When you think about it, what a really amazing way of developing connections with other people, then by the use of a unique, special language when speaking with one another.  It really is a tie that bonds!

I can’t blog about slang without bringing up a time, I can vividly remember, when Alicia and I tried to use our own secret slang word and it kind of backfired on us.  It happened back in our High School days, when we were avid readers of the now extinct, Teen Magazine.  I took this magazine very seriously back then, thinking it was the be all end all leading expert on what it meant to be a hip & happening teenager! So, this meant I had a monthly subscription to the mag, and it was one of those things we would sit and flip through while lounging around my room, hanging out.  This particular issue had an article about using slang words to talk in code around boys.  Supposedly it would work in a way that you could secretly inform your BFF when you thought a certain boy you were with was super hot and he would be none the wiser.  Of course, we felt this was a fantastic idea and couldn’t wait to try it out on a couple unsuspecting boys we hung out with.  The article had a list of words they recommended we use, so we choose one we liked and waited for the perfect opportunity to try it out.  The moment came, not long afterwards, when we were out with a couple of guys we both liked but were too chicken to tell them (We were both horribly shy and awkward in the boy department as teenagers).  At the perfect opportune moment in the evening we let them know, “You guys are total Adonis‘!” What we thought was us being so sneaky, totally backfired on us.  The boys looked at us in amazed delight because it turned out, while we had not been taught Greek Mythology at our school, they had at theirs.  Either we hadn’t paid very close attention to the article, or it hadn’t quite clarified what an Adonis really was, but we had no clue that we had just called them the Greek god of beauty and desire!  I think we were totally red in the face the rest of the night after that admission!  Obviously, this wasn’t a case when using slang made us look smarter, but it is a BFF moment I won’t forget.

The best thing, which I find super cool, about slang is, like music and fashion, common everyday slang very often denotes a particular period in history which is very unique to that point in time.  Some of my favorite slang from my childhood in the 80’s, are:

• “Grotty to the Max” (or Maxwell House, for added measure) = gross
• “Gag me with a Spoon” = that is so disgusting I could vomit
• Psych = not really or just kidding
• “Just joshing you” = kidding around
• That’s so cake! = awesome (my brother used this one A LOT)
• “Word to your Mother”, or simply “word” = I agree wholeheartedly with what you just said

What are some of your favorite slang words from childhood?

~Chrissy

Embracing my 37th year!

Over the last 5 years or so, my Birthdays leave me feeling a tad bit unenthused.  Every year that BIG day rolls around on the calendar is like another slap in the face.  I am getting older and there is not a darn thing I can do about it.  It’s not as if I am depressed about getting older per se, it is more like I am less then thrilled and would rather not think about it all that much.  My blase attitude toward getting older dramatically changed over this past year.  A multitude of events caused an overwhelming amount of personal contemplation for me on what it means to live.  It is absolutely amazing to me how much my sorrow and grief for the loss of mutiple loved ones, led me on this internal reflection into what it really means to live, and I mean REALLY live.  I have to say, I undoubtedly learned the most about this from the life of my Father-in-Law.  He was diagnosed with ALS three years ago, and lost his battle with the disease this past month.  Boy, what a battle it was.  His own body betrayed him, lavishing a war against his spirits.  He didn’t take it laying down, not up until the very end!  Prior to his retirement, he had dedicated his life to the education system, so I think it fitting he is the one who ultimately taught me so very much about life.  His fight taught me an amazing amount about courage, kindness, strength, weakness, struggle, pain, suffering, perserverance, and persistance.  I learned about the human spirit’s ability to overcome challenges when faced with them, to adapt and continue to move forward with good humor and a positive attitude.  I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  It’s not always going to be easy, but it is a choice we can all make and be better for it!

Life is an absolutely amazing and precious gift. We should all celebrate our lives and everyone we hold near and dear every moment of every day.  Never take your life, or those you love, for granted for we never know just how long we get.  This is why my outlook on reaching another Birthday and being another year older has completely shifted.  I am embracing my 37th year as another year I get to spend chasing rainbows and achieving my dreams, all the while surrounded by my family and friends whom I love most dearly!

~Chrissy