Here am I, Little Jumping Joan. When nobody's with me, I'm all alone.

That was my favorite mother goose nursery rhyme when I was a kid. I had a read-along tape that went with one of my many mother goose nursery rhyme books, and I would listen to it on my great big brick of a tape player, back when they were new-fangled and special. Little jumping joan had this cute little child like voice. I always pictured some tiny cute little child, the size of thumbelina. I can still hear that voice. Too funny! Strange the little things you remember from childhood.

Standing outside the side door to the garage with my dad, in my pink coat...couldn't have been more than 2 or 3, look like I was just a baby when I wore that coat in pictures I've seen since.

My then best friend Megan and I in preschool chatting about our ages. I was 2 and she had just turned 3, so she thought she was old and I was a baby still. I can still remember being hurt and sad. I was so emotional then. Imagine that.

Laying by some creek in the sunshine with my grandpa...I think I was 7 or 8 maybe, my oldest daughter's age. We had hiked in somewhere, and the mosquitos were TERRIBLE. We were laying on blue foam pads in the sun, listening to the water, batting at the bugs. That was the same trip where mice got into my dads pack in the middle of the night and spread shreds of toilet paper everywhere. I remember thinking it was sooooo hilarious. Until I had to go to the bathroom. Oops.

Gurgy the Gorilla...My Uncle Sam bought him when I was born and brought him to the hospital. Never thought about it before, but an 18 inch stuffed gorilla is kind of a strange gift for a newborn baby. He's always been a little different though, love my uncle sammy :)
Forget teddy bears, anyway. That thing was my favorite stuffed animal growing up, and I drug it EVERYWHERE. I took it along one time when My dad and I went somewhere to cut wood. There was some kind of orange messy stuff on the tailgate of his old beat up white pickup. It smelled horrible. Somehow I got it on gurgy, and he smelled funny for years. I can still smell that smell in my brain, very distinct, and I still have no clue what on earth it was.

Fishing on the yellowstone river with my grandparents. I caught a fish bigger than anything my grandpa had gotten all day, and he told me it was tooo big and threw it back He was just trying to tease and play, but I was so mad at him. He laughed. It's funny now, but oooooooh!