Beach trip memories

Since we had many summers at the beach, here are a few memories from those trips....

Mom HATES frogs, toads, snakes etc. Well one year, I heard the fat, lumpy little creature just croaking away outside the beach house. I couldn't resist, out I went following the croaks, when I spotted him! Before he knew what was happening I swooped him up and headed to the house. Went right in and set him on the table next to Mom and in a split second Mom was able to fly!!  Up she went screaming incoherently, and out the door! I grabbed Mr. Toady and headed to the door. Too late, Mom was on a roll, never really seen her run that fast...didn't know she had it in her. When she did return....lets just say I got the hell outta there!

Well now I'm getting older its 1977-78 or so, Van Halen  and Aerosmith blasting everywhere and I discovered getting high. No I was not afraid...I would try anything. 

Lorraine and I headed out. Friday night on the beach.. beer to drink, boys to meet! 

Walking along, we found several parties. One of which I was offered Quaaludes and beer...took both. Lorraine..just the beer. Was doing fine when it hit...OH OH! I am at a signal, trying to cross a busy street in Newport Beach barely able to stand, let alone walk and as as I headed across, Lorraine tells me "there's your parents". OH SHIT! Really?  Whew...we made it across  hiding me in a group of people who were crossing too... made it back went to bed and slept it off. Next morning headed straight to the water to wash away the hangover. NEVER took those again!

Several more trips after that but by then we were allowed to drink if we stayed close to the house. ( Times were so different back then)

Vacations and trips

My life was great! I had 2 parents that cared and loved their kids more than life itself. We took family trips to Disneyland ( Moms favorite place ) and family Vacations to Newport Beach every summer. I always invited Lorraine because we weren't only best friends, she was part of our family as I was hers and Tommy got to bring a friend too.

Disneyland trips were rarely planned, I always remember Dad waking us up early on a whim to go. We frequented there about 5 times a year..

Beach vacations were planned. We loaded up 2 cars and headed down. We rented the same beach house every year and the loft in the back is where Lorraine and I stayed.   We felt so special to have our own little area that was just ours.

We were great swimmers. I remember Lorraine and I going out farther than most, blowing bubblegum bubbles in the waves and giving Dad a panic attack when he realized how far out we were. 

I love the ocean!Even though I don't go very often, it takes me back to those wonderful summers of my child hood, a time when life was carefree and uncomplicated.

Another trip we took often was the one up to Placerville to see Grandma and Grandpa Connow. 

( Moms Parents ).

I was an 8 hour drive and about 3 hours into it, Tommy and I would start bickering and nit picking each other. Like many others, in the back seat of our family car, there was an imaginary line that we had to determine who's space is who's. Of course just putting a fingertip into the others space was a recipe for backseat disaster! OH would Tommy get so mad when I did it and the reaction I got from him would just make me do it more until the physical contact began! There was the poking, the sleeve pulling, hair pulling, screaming and yelling till Dad had to pull over and threaten spankings on both of us. This went on about every 50 or so miles on our 8 hour trip, several actual spankings included

Being a big sister

Being a big sister isn't so bad, at least not from my point of view. I'm pretty sure Tommy would protest that statement.

I guess I 'm not always nice. Like the time I pushed him down and he cut his head on the bed frame. Good as new after several stitches.

Dumping his dinner plate into the dog dish when he chewed with his mouth open.

Jumping out of the rocking toy so he would fly backwards and the whole thing would land on him, bloodying his nose every time.

Hiding his Buzzy Bear till he cried.

Locking him in the dark bathroom, and making monster noises.

The list goes on...and on.........

Don't get me wrong....we had fun playing in the pool, we played games and we ALWAYS sided with each other against Mom!!

Preschool and the sibling

Ahhhh, here I am, finally a big girl and I get to go to school!!

Mom and Pat (Sherry's Mom) Loaded us up in the car and took us to Windham pre-school! ( I believe it is still there today)We loved it! In fact that's when the song "We're going to the dairy" came about.

As I was attending preschool, loving life as an only child, my Mom was getting suspiciously fat. Now mind you, at 4 I really didn't think much about it nor did I really care until I heard the dreaded words."Would you like to have a Brother or Sister?"  (Uh NOOOOOO! Like really....my life is just fine and you want to go and mess it all up!) I just looked at her and said I want an older brother, that's it. Now seriously, if you can't produce what I want, then DON'T ASK!

Yippy Hooray, (BLEH) The baby is here. They call him Tommy. He's getting fussed over, Grandma is staying for a couple of days to help Mom. Everything is Tommy, Tommy, Tommy! Well at least I have my preschool! That I don't have to share! Until...

So off I go. Pat took Sherry and I, dropped us off and lo and behold every one ran up and was asking about my new baby Brother! WHO Cares?? Then the big project of the day was that the class put together a little book for Mom and the baby....sigh, so much for preschool being about me.

Well I will admit that I was pretty proud of the book, and Mommy made a huge deal about it when I presented it to her and she let me show it to Tommy, who really wasn't so bad after all.

The Tonsilectomy

One more story about the younger years then I'm going to head on to the school years.

Not only my tantrums, and me channeling my inner Evil Knievel, Mom and Dad had to also put up with my chronic bronchitis and tonsillitis.

Dr. Coombs, finally decided it was time to get those tonsils out....YAY...(I think).

Well off to the hospital I went, parents in tow, checked in and went to my room.

Now back then Hospitals were much different. The rooms were quite bare and the Nurses still wore those cool hats and with perfectly starched white dresses.

Mom and Dad stayed for as long as possible. Dad found a wheelchair and took me for a ride up and down the corridor, which I thought was super cool! Mostly we hung out and played games, I was totally ok with being there....UNTIL.... that awful Nurse said those hateful words..."Visiting Hours Are Over"!

OH HELL NO!! Mommy and Daddy are staying! Yep, you guessed it...full blown tantrum! I climbed out of my crib and tried to follow them out... Nurse put me back, I climbed out, Nurse put me back. This went on for several more times and finally with no bedside manner what so ever, she brought in some sort of net and tied it over the top of my crib and gave me a piece of her mind. I cried for a minute then untied the net and I was off again!

The last memory I had from that was being put back, the net retied, and I'm sure some sort of sedative was involved, because I don't remember anything till after the surgery.

It was all worth it...ICE CREAM for the next 3 weeks!!!!

Ages 2 and 3

I could be here for eternity giving a complete review of each day as it passed so I will just tell some stories that are highlighted in my mind.

I was getting bigger, could talk now ( probably not a good thing), my tantrums even bigger, and I had a fear of nothing.

 One indecent was at a pizza place with my Mom and a lady I called "Aunt Sally" not sure what set me off but I was hell bent on pushing off the table to make my highchair roll into the aisle where people were trying to get by. After several "stop it's" and I'm sure a swat or two, I resorted to a full blown tantrum, with screams, tears and pounding on my highchair. I can't recall if we finished the pizza.

There was a time that I bit the dog's ear. Now don't get me wrong, I loved that dog! Her name was Roxy and I had her for the next 16 or so years. One day I was just being my normal, bratty self when out of nowhere I leaned over and bit down as hard as I could. Well I got bit back, pretty hard and as I was screaming, I was also thinking "bad dog! You're in soooooo much trouble now!"

To my surprise, Mom came over and spanked me and comforted the dog???  There was no room for protest as she saw the entire thing. Roxy's ear was never quite right from then on.

Another indecent was with a push toy. WAAAAY back then, the push toys had wooden handles, kind of like a broom stick. Well I decided, and no, I don't know why, to shove it down my throat. Again...I screamed, cried, and coughed up blood......off to the emergency room. I was ok just scratched up my throat.

I was also quite a climber. Once I climbed up on the counter to get into the top cupboard and fell, SMACK on my back knocking the wind out of me no other injuries. Another time was I climbed up the ladder when Dad had his back turned and jumped off the roof....again, no injuries, just a loss of wind.

The saddest memory of that time was when Roxy chewed my favorite teddy bear to shreds and scattered it all over the back yard. (probably still pissed off over the ear thing)I cried and tantrumed until I fell asleep then woke up and did it again...this only lasted a day or so because we went shopping for a new bear.

My Baptisim

Ok, so from the other posts you get the idea that I have quite a temper. Well I was also quite a daredevil and a tomboy to boot. I proved that about an hour before I was supposed to be Baptized.

Not sure why, but as most parents, mine also thought that dressing me up and having my head dipped in holy water would keep me from having to endure fire and brimstone when the time came. So on that glorious day, Mom dressed me all pretty in pink ruffles and a bonnet and set me in my walker, in the garage with Daddy while she got ready. Well you know Daddy's and their garages...mine was preoccupied in no time and that's when I decided to make a run for it.

From the garage, the asphalt driveway had a slight decline and I was so inclined to make use of it!
I pushed as hard as my chubby little legs would go and down I went bumpity, bumpity, gaining warp speed, enjoying the wind in my face, when all of a sudden BABAM I hit a crack in the road!  Smack, tumble, and probably smack again, I was now sprawled out on the pavement skinned up dirty, dress torn, bonnet crooked and wailing like there was no tomorrow! I must have REALLY scared the shit out of Daddy because from what I heard..he was white as a ghost!

By that time, we had about 15 minutes to get to the church. Mommy brushed me off tried to make me look presentable, stop me from crying (which was nearly impossible as I kept flashing back to that horrible moment) and she did this as Daddy drove to the church.

Well no worries, we got there in time, I got my head dipped then the minister held me high for all the congregation to see!
I was a sight! Mommy and Daddy just hung their heads, as dirty, torn, skinned up little me let out another blood curdling wail! I don't remember any stories of ever attending that church again.