7 of My Fondest Memories ...

Getting a new bike for Christmas was a fantastic feeling. Learning to ride it was a bit less exciting. There were lots of scrapes, bruises, and tear drops from the ordeal. I couldn’t remember how to use the brakes at first, so I would crash into the chain link fence at the bottom of the yard. I’m surprised I didn’t injure myself from crashing into the fence. I don’t recall the actual day that I was able to ride my new bike successfully, but I can totally remember the feeling of accomplishment that I felt. It was amazing!

I think almost every kid goes through an era where knights, princesses, kings, and queens are intriguing. My mom and dad took me to the Renaissance Festival when I was around 8. I think my son was around the same age when he finally got to experience the Renaissance era for himself. My parents and I spent the entire day at the festival and I remember not wanting the day to ever end. It was such a magical place for an 8 year old!

My family and I would go to Silver Dollar City each summer when I was a kid. Being a tiny kid, it was much safer for me to ride on my dad’s shoulders than it was for me to walk around the park holding one or both of my parents’ hands. My dad is a tall guy, so I could see over the top of everyone. I liked seeing where I was going, instead of looking at nothing but knees and being bopped in the head by the passing purse or gift bag.

When my dad would have to leave for construction jobs that took him out of town for multiple days, my mom would try to come up with things for she and I to do that would take our minds off of missing my dad so much. One of the things we did was dress up in funny clothes and have picnics together. We had some wild outfits and we’d sometimes talk in funny voices to make the picnic even more fun. I’m sure the neighbors thought we were nuts!

My family and I lived in an apartment up until I was about 6 years old. After being cramped in a small apartment for years, we all finally were able to move into a house with a huge yard. I had trees to climb, we bought chickens and rabbits, and I had kids to play with that lived right next door. It was an amazing and life changing event for me. I remember going back to this house to show my son where I grew up and remember the yard not being quite as big as I remember it. That’s always the way it is though, right? Things seem huge when you’re a kid!

An uncle of mine gave me my first kitten. Her name was Bootsie because she had white paws. I was visiting my uncle’s farm when I was about 7 years old and there had just been a snow storm a couple of days before. I walked outside to play in the snow and heard mewing. I followed the sound to a bare spot on the ground next to the barn, but surrounded by a snow drift. On this snowless, yet cold patch of ground sat the cutest striped fur ball I had ever seen. I carried her into the house to show my uncle and he told me to take her home as an early Christmas present. She was such a sweet kitty and lived to be nearly 20.

I liked to hang out in the basement with my grandfather while he completed various woodworking projects. In order to keep me entertained and out of harm’s way, he hung a small wooden swing from the basement rafters in his workshop. The rafter my swing was attached to was right under the kitchen. My grandmother once told me she could hear the creaking rafter each time I’d start to swing. That swing is still in the basement, but I haven’t been able to use it for many years.

These are 7 of my fondest memories from my childhood and I hope you enjoy reading about them. I also hope they help you to remember a few of your favorite childhood moments too. I hope I’ve helped my kids to create some excellent memories that they will one day share fondly with others. What are some of the memories you cherish most of all? Do they tend to revolve around family gatherings or things you’ve done on your own?