Happy Birthday To Me! Childhood & other memories...

Happy Birthday to me...:)

It seems the older I get, the more I think about my childhood.

Growing up in Lynnwood, I remember walks to the corner park with my mom and dad. I remember the freedom of playing in a cul-de-sac without constant parental supervision. I remember visiting my friends Trent & Troy and turning up Michael Jackson's Beat It as loud as their mom would allow and dancing like only kids do. Thriller and Billie Jean might have been the hits, but Beat It was our jam...:)

I remember Punky Brewster, Who's The Boss and the A-Team. B.A. Baracus was everyone's favorite. Who doesn't love a guy known for his "Bad Attitude". I remember watching my brother dominate in track & field at Edmonds High School and idolizing him as the athlete I would never be. I remember chasing my sister around the house when her friends came to visit as they locked me out and blasted Duran Duran's The Reflex and Hungary Like The Wolf. And even though I never did "ok" right (inside joke), I knew everything was okay between us.

I remember laying my head on my mom's lap before it was time for bed. I remember my dad getting up early to make school lunch and fix me a special omelet for breakfast. I remember family spaghetti dinners. Oh, how I love spaghetti. I remember family vacations and trips to Vancouver Island to visit my God parents Henri & Johanna. I remember when my brother came back from the Army and I couldn't stop wrestling with him on the floor. I remember summer trips to my grandparent's place in Oregon and fishing, skipping rocks and swimming in the creek.

When I think about it all now, it kind of comes as a big blur and leaves me feeling a bit nostalgic and teary eyed about how fast the time has gone. Adolescence was pretty easy for me as well. People always seemed to want to be my friend. The football players, the geeks, the nerds; they all had no issue befriending the quiet nice guy.

Now, as I struggle making money to pay two mortgages, keep my small business (menschoice.info) turning profit and finding time for friends and family, life still is pretty good. I make time to enjoy my hobby and take pictures when I can, and even share my work with a growing Facebook community. I have fans for goodness sake...haha I mean, of course everyone has their days, but I think my healthy childhood has set me up for a fulfilling adulthood.

Happy Birthday to me...:)

I think I'm gonna blast that 50 Cent song now about it being my birthday.

It's time to wake up some neighbors...haha