That's mom's HS graduation picture. I got these scanned from a pre-scanned and printed sheet so they're not the top quality I'd like, but they do for now. To me, this one looks the least like my mother as I've never really known her with long hair. Mom has always had shoulder length hair. We have video of her when Adam was probably two (so I was like 5-6) with her hair almost this length and she hates it. She said that there's a point when you realize you're too old for long hair and that was her long hair send off. I had one of those moments a few years ago. My hair just doesn't look nice when it's really long. It's reaching just past my shoulders right now and driving me INSANE!!
This one is about the length I always remember it (at it's longest before she gets annoyed and chops it off). That's my aunt Jeanine but no one but my uncle (my mom's older brother) calls her that. To us she's Aunt Jeanie. I've got 7 aunties and she's the one I'm probably closest too. I think it's mostly because she's the one I was around the most growing up. It's not because we're alike for sure, because she's a lot nicer than I am. She and my mom are the same age and had babies at the same time (Kristal is 3 months older than me and Jenna is like 2-3 months older than Adam) and we lived close by when we were little. Kristal, Brian and I all went to preschool together, which Jeanie helped teach at, and we played at their house A LOT when we were tiny. To be honest, she still pretty much looks the same too. ;)
This would be Mom & Dad's engagement photo. Dad looks at this one and says that he was so happy to get such a hottie. I laugh when he says that because my dad has always tried to be so hip growing up. When we got older, that's when his college pictures popped up. His hair was probably longer in this one photo than my hair has ever gotten. I'm going to have to find it and scan it one of these days because I always get a giggle when I think about how much he's changed since he was a young man. Growing up they'd take us for day trips around LA and we'd go to UCLA sometimes. Then he'd get all excited and point out where he used to protest the war.
"... and then the cops would come around through here. We'd just scatter this and that way and then we'd regroup back down there behind them and they'd come back and we'd just do it again." Let me tell you, when you're a little kid and you hear these stories you're fascinated because your parents were part of history. When you get older you just laugh because you realize the irony of your now ultra-conservative father sharing his glory days with his kids. Knowing that meeting your mother changed it all just makes you smile.
Growing up with them as my parents was the best thing for my marriage I think. They made sure I knew that it wasn't an easy thing. I went into marriage with some of that fairy tale ending thinking in my head, but when I realized how much work it really was, it still didn't surprise me. I know that my husband is right for me because I see some of my parents' relationship in us. I know that they're strong and good for each other so I know that even though we're two of the most stubborn people I've ever known, so are my parents (I didn't happen in a vacuum y'know). But that stubbornness will pay off and we will make it work. Besides, he tells me "no". ;)
