Post your happiest "little" memory

[MorningGlow]

We all know engagements, weddings, births of children and grandchildren take the top spots for great memories. So what about the "little" ones--not milestones, yet moments in your life you'll never forget--the ones that always make you smile?

I'll start:

When I was in college (eep 20 years ago), I spent a month studying in London. It was a theater class, so about half of the class members were drama majors, and the other half just wanted to see London. One day we were traveling on the Tube (can't recall where) and the way out was a very long, wide tunnel. Up ahead, around a curve, we could hear a busker playing. He was, hands down, the best busker I've ever heard (and I've traveled the subways in NYC, Boston, London, and Montreal). He was playing a really upbeat rockabilly type song.

So of course we rather uninhibited theater folk started getting into it--wiggling our hips a bit...throwing in a couple of dance steps...etc...by the time we came around the corner we were flying about like we were recreating a production number from "Fame"--and it was such a shock to the busker that he lost his place for a second. He recovered and kept playing, we kept dancing, we were all laughing (even the busker), and of course we tossed whatever pence we could into his guitar case. And we went on.

It was one of those moments in life that was pure joy--he made our day, and I'm sure we made his. Still smiling... :D

[fizzgig]

1. a couple summers back a bunch of my friends and i were out

at the bar before heading to a party. my best friend and i were both particularly grumpy that night and it got worse and worse while we were driving to the party. finally, i pulled the car over and we ran through the sprinklers on the side of the road (it was about 2 a.m.). it cheered us right up.

i will never forget that night and it will always make me laugh.

[MorningGlow]

8. That rocks!

Reminds me of that car commercial from a couple of years back--used Nick Drake's "Pink Moon"--when a car full of people are driving to a party, enjoying the night, pull up to the loud obnoxious party, decide not to go in, and keep driving. I love that ad, because it's so true to life, like your story--goofing around with friends, especially unexpectedly late at night, are some of the best memories ever! :)

[grace0418]

12. I love that ad! I feel the same way about it.

I love the moon and love summer nights like that, so I really identified with that commerical. And I love that song too.

[fizzgig]

15. that was a good commercial

first time i'd ever heard nick drake.

my friend and i used to do shit like that all the time. i think at least half of my favorite memories include her. i could go on for hours about the stuff we did

[graywarrior]

2. The night our van ran out of gas coming home from a YES concert and

I learned how to siphon gas from a gas station pump.

Sorry, shit like that comes into my head all day long.

[MorningGlow]

9. Love it!

No apologies necessary. What good are our memories if we can't relive them frequently?

[crim son]

3. It was the first year I grew my own vegetable garden.

I started all the seedlings in the greenhouse attached to our home and created massive "raised beds" on a large plot of land that had been allowed to overgrow. I'd put in everything you can imagine: brussels sprouts, broccoli, tomatoes, okra, watermelon, onions, garlic, sugar snap peas, eggplant, string beans purple & green, mesclun, spinach, radishes, carrots, potatoes. Everything. It was interesting to watch it all grow but the plants that fascinated me the most were the bell peppers... I simply couldn't imagine how they would develop. Anyhow, one morning I woke, made my cup of coffee and then took it outside with me while I walked the garden, the late spring air already heavy with humidity. I went up and down the rows which were lined with straw and very soft and clean, when I came to my row of peppers. There were lots of plants, maybe thirty of them and they'd been flowering but producing no fruit for a few weeks. I knelt down in the straw and began to look them over carefully & there it was, my first teeny, tiny green pepper baby, about as big as a fingernail. SO exciting! Such a miracle. It completely captivated me and I called into the house for everybody to come out and see. It was wonderful.

[MorningGlow]

11. Awwww--how great

I want to put in a vegetable garden this year (last summer was our first in this house and we spent the whole time renovating the inside--which is still going on, only to a lesser extent). But the mere thought of it has been so daunting, I wasn't sure I was going to try. After reading your post, I'm inspired to give it a shot! Thanks! :hi:

[crim son]

17. Yay! Definitely do give it a shot.

It's really not hard work once you've prepared the soil. You'll love it! :hi:

[MorningGlow]

21. Yeah, I think it's the tilling that freaks me out

Probably because that yard hasn't been taken care of in about a decade--it's gotta be packed down as hard as rock. :( But I will do it!!

[crim son]

30. Okay, then my last word on the subject.

If you have a decent tiller you will be amazed at how well it does the trick. First spade the outline of what you want to till, and remove a thin border. Till inside that line. I've turned lawn into beautiful flower gardens in one season by tilling the grass under, layering the area with several thicknesses of newspaper, and then covering all that with about four - six inches of rotted manure blended with good loam. The first year you may break through the paper if you have to, to put in very big plants, but everything else is potted in the uppermost soil. By the following spring the newpaper has rotted and all the grass is dead as a doornail AND your soil quality is fantastic.

Okay, I'll shut up now. It's really one of my greatest pleasures, the garden.

[MorningGlow]

33. Excellent advice!

Thanks! I will try that!

:hi:

[stuntcat]

57. omg you're so right

The first year I grew things :o Every tomato was special, every okra made of gold.
I've never grown watermellon or garlic before, I should try.

[NJCher]

68. I'm gonna' cry

Seriously.



Cher

[bertha katzenengel]

77. How fantastic. A very sweet memory. Made me think of this Frost poem

Not exactly like your memory, but kinda sweet.

A Girl's Garden

A neighbor of mine in the village
Likes to tell how one spring
When she was a girl on the farm, she did
A childlike thing.

One day she asked her father
To give her a garden plot
To plant and tend and reap herself,
And he said, "Why not?"

In casting about for a corner
He thought of an idle bit
Of walled-off ground where a shop had stood,
And he said, "Just it."

And he said, "That ought to make you
An ideal one-girl farm,
And give you a chance to put some strength
On your slim-jim arm."

It was not enough of a garden
Her father said, to plow;
So she had to work it all by hand,
But she don't mind now.

She wheeled the dung in a wheelbarrow
Along a stretch of road;
But she always ran away and left
Her not-nice load,

And hid from anyone passing.
And then she begged the seed.
She says she thinks she planted one
Of all things but weed.

A hill each of potatoes,
Radishes, lettuce, peas,
Tomatoes, beets, beans, pumpkins, corn,
And even fruit trees.

And yes, she has long mistrusted
That a cider-apple
In bearing there today is hers,
Or at least may be.

Her crop was a miscellany
When all was said and done,
A little bit of everything,
A great deal of none.

Now when she sees in the village
How village things go,
Just when it seems to come in right,
She says, "I know!

"It's as when I was a farmer..."
Oh never by way of advice!
And she never sins by telling the tale
To the same person twice.

[crim son]

97. That's a perfect poem and I think you for posting it!

:hug: I appreciate you, ms. bertha.

[bertha katzenengel]

99. ah... can you see where I missed the word "tree" in typing it out?

:eyes:

:hug:

[fudge stripe cookays]

4. I went to France when I was 16.

My teacher had a doctorate from the Sorbonne, and was one of my favorite teachers ever. She took a group of us over. I'd been getting straight A's in French, so my mom let me go.

Well, we had done plenty that day. Near the Dome des Invalides, we found a cafe and went inside. Outside, Dr. G ran into some older men that she knew from her previous time in France. We perused the menu, and quite a few of the kids with us didn't know diddly because they hadn't paid attention in class.

Dr. G stayed outside for what seemed like a really long time. Didn't she know we were hungry? ;-)
So feeling supremely confident (I had translated quite a bit of the menu for folks already), I began clarifying what everyone wanted, called the waitress over, and ordered for the whole table.

When Dr. G came back in, she apologized, saying she was so happy to see her friends again, that it had been so long! And that she supposed we were starving and had better order. "That's OK," one of them told her, "Fudge already ordered for us!"

She looked over at me, and I had never seen a teacher so proud! I think she was even prouder when we knew everybody got what they wanted (that I hadn't screwed any of the orders up!). :D

[MorningGlow]

14. Cool!

Nothing better than 1) conquering another culture/language and 2) impressing someone you respect, like a teacher. Good on you!
:toast:

[grace0418]

18. Good for you! You should be proud. My proudest moments when traveling are

when we get mistaken for locals. Silly, I know, but true.

[fudge stripe cookays]

23. Oh I LOVE that!

I hate looking like an Ugly American.

When we were in Monaco, I had a shop lady strike up a conversation with me. I finally ran out of good vocabulary, but she was surprised I was American. Dr. G once told me she thought I had the ear. Biggest language compliment I've ever gotten.

Now I want to go to Germany before I lose all the German I learned a few years ago!

[noshenanigans]

5. The first laugh I got doing stand-up

I perform a lot now and it's always a thrill, but the first time I did 5 minutes of an act that I had scribbled out and worked on, practiced on all of my friends, I was terrified. Then in that little cafe all these strangers laughed, and I floated on air. That was the best feeling I've ever had. Of course, the next night I bombed, but that was a great moment I'll never forget and keeps me going through all this bull.

[MorningGlow]

20. I know how that feels!

Reminds me of another "moment" in college (no, really, I had lots of "best moments" before and after those four years! honest!)--I was doing a play and had the part of an old lady--New England "old money" brahmin--the exact opposite of me--and I just couldn't "get it". Rehearsal after rehearsal, I did okay, but I didn't nail it. Then one evening this...other voice came out of me, and my director shouted "There she is!" For the life of me, I have no idea how it happened. But that old bird slayed 'em in every performance. I swear it wasn't me!

That play also revealed to me that I could do comedy. Who knew?
:rofl:

[fudge stripe cookays]

6. Now THAT is a great story!

I would love to have seen that.

:D

[Pierre.Suave]

7. I have so many

really.

Dancing in my room to some slow, romantic jazz music, with the lights down low...

Finding a special package of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups waiting for me after a long day of class and lab...

Shoveling the driveway with my GF...

So many good times with friends in college...

Waking up with my GF asleep in my arms looking so peaceful...

so many others, I have such great friends and family.

[MorningGlow]

22. You're right

Wonderful moments every day! You've got some great ones!

[grace0418]

10. Great story! Here's mine...

We couldn't afford a honeymoon right after our wedding so we waited until our first anniversary. We got lucky because Iberia Airlines was starting non-stop service from Chicago to Madrid so to celebrate, r/t fares were $259! We decided to go to Madrid, Paris and Barcelona. My husband had never been to Europe before but I had been to Paris and was really excited to see it again. We were to arrive there the morning of our anniversary. The whole trip was really amazing and outstanding, but our first day in Paris was beyond words.

We arrived early in the morning on October 18. Our hotel was on a little market street near the Eiffel Tower. We could've taken a couple different routes but I figured it would be most impressive to walk up the stairs from the Metro and see the tower as our first sight in Paris. I was definitely right. The sun was just coming up and it had rained the night before, so everything was bathed in golden light and glistening. The Eiffel Tower looked freshly scrubbed and absolutely magical. My husband was speechless.

It only got better from there. We walked down the Rue Cler towards our hotel and it was like something out of a movie or a fairy tale. The cobblestones were still wet from the night before, the buildings and shops were as charming as can be, and the trees were every shade of red, orange and yellow. People bustled around purchasing flowers, loaves of bread, cheese, fruit and roasted chickens for their big Sunday meal. The sun made it just warm enough to be comfortable, but the air was crisp and cool as it can only be on a perfect autumn day. Shopkeepers were chatting with locals, children and dogs were frolicking at their feet, and everyone just seemed happy to be alive on such a beautiful day.

When we arrived at our hotel, my parents had somehow figured out how to send us an anniversary card and it was waiting for us at the front desk. Our room wasn't ready (it was still quite early), but the kind lady stashed our luggage and we set out to take in more of the sights. We walked around in a daze, feeling like we needed to pinch ourselves. Everywhere we turned it seemed we ended up gasping with delight at something. Both of us were really overwhelmed by it. Even now I start to well up with joy remembering that experience.

We stopped at a street vendor to pick up a picnic lunch of fruit, little quiches, and sandwiches and the lovely people there made sure to warm up the quiches and wrap them so they'd be the perfect temperature when we found a place to sit. We ended up on the steps of some beautiful old church, where a sweet elderly woman smiled and wished us "Bon Appetit!" as we bit into the best quiche I have ever tasted in my entire life. I wish we had written down where that street vendor was, the quiche was that good.

Anyway, the whole day was like that. Everyone was so kind to us, and welcoming. I spoke a tiny bit of French (at least enough to say hello, please, thank you, etc.), and everyone was so patient with me as I stumbled my way through ordering pastries and whatnot.

Later that night, before going to bed, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower again and sat in the park taking it all in. There weren't any tourists there at that hour, just Parisians out walking their dogs and doing the things that city-dwellers all over the world do. Yet many of them stopped to let us pet their dogs, had a friendly "bonjour" for us, or just a smile. We must've been grinning like idiots I suppose, but who wouldn't be after what I have to say is the closest I've ever come to having a perfect day?

[MorningGlow]

24. OMG that's wonderful!

What a great story--I could "see" every minute of it! That's a fantastic memory!

And may I add that it gives the lie to the stereotype that French people are rude! :D

[grace0418]

35. Thank you! I get very annoyed whenever I hear that "the French are rude."

Maybe because I live in a big city, I know the difference between the city "exterior" every city-dweller has and actual rudeness. You can't go around smiling and talking to everyone like a goofball in a big city or you'll get targeted by people up to no good. But once you respectfully approach someone in an appropriate situation and you at least attempt to speak the local language, the vast majority of people will be respectful and even friendly right back to you. There are jerks everywhere, and Paris is no exception, but I've had wonderful experiences every time I went.

I suspect the mistaken notion of Parisians being rude has something to with a number of factors. One of them is surely that Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world, with an incredible number and concentration of major tourist attractions. Those tourist attractions are often in neighborhoods where people are trying to live, commute, shop, etc. Imagine if you were just trying to go to the store or get to work and you had to contend with *MOBS* of people wandering around looking lost. You might get a little testy too. I know when I used to have to pick up a Clark bus outside Wrigley Field after work, I would just about cry whenever there were Cubs games that let out near rush-hour. My commute instantly become an hour longer and I had to deal with drunk Cubs fans on top of it. I'm sure I was not the friendliest person on that bus, that's for sure.

[fudge stripe cookays]

27. Wow. Color me jealous!

I've been to Europe twice now, but I SO want to be with the man I love when I do it next time. The first time was a student group, and the second time was with my mother.

I'd like it to be a little more special this time!

[grace0418]

36. Yeah, my first time in Paris was with my mom and dad. Definitely not the same

as going with someone you love. I remember feeling nervous before we got there because I had gushed about how wonderful Paris was, and I was starting to worry that maybe I had built it up too much. Later that first night there, he told me that nothing I had told him or he had read could ever have prepared him for how amazing that city was.

I hope you get to go with someone special next time!

[NJCher]

71. What a happy story

Sometimes it just happens like that. I'm so happy for you had that "charmed day." Beautifully written, too. I think I'm going to have to save your post for re-reading when I need a "pick me up."



Cher

[grace0418]

73. Thanks Cher! You're sweet. "Charmed" is a good way to describe it.

And it's good to remember that right now, because life hasn't been so great lately.

[XemaSab]

13. One of the best days I have had....

It was a few days after the 5th Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, had come out and I was sent to go do some bird work in the Klamath Mountains.

My boss dropped me off and I camped out for the night. First thing in the morning a bear woke me up, and I went and did my work.

I got back to my site and leaned against a MONSTER (12+ ft dbh) doug fir and started reading. The butterflies were EVERYWHERE, so I'd read a few pages and get up and look at the leps.

The oddest thing happened... I got to the part where Harry dreams he's the snake and it was so intense I had to close the book for a minute... I looked over my shoulder for some reason, and there was a tiny garter snake that had crawled up the bark of the tree about a foot behind my shoulder!

It was like the snake was reading over my shoulder during that scene! I have never seen a snake in a tree in the west before or since.

Pure goodness. :D

[grace0418]

16. Great story! I love garter snakes. They are absolutely adorable to me.

Maybe because I loved Lowly Worm from Richard Scarry books and garter snakes look sweet and innocent like Lowly Worm.

[XemaSab]

19. Awwww!

I have a snaky... his name is Jasper...

I was really obsessed with snakes for a while.

[fudge stripe cookays]

28. Hee hee...

I was working in our garden a few years ago and find one still hibernating and frozen (it was January in Texas-- one of our 70 degree January days).

I called reprehensor outside (he is fascinated by crawly things). He took the little fella inside and warmed him up in some warm water in a bowl. And christened him "Gary."

[MorningGlow]

25. Oooh magic!

I loves me some magic moments like that! Serendipity is the best!

[grace0418]

26. I know my first one was really long but I thought of another (it's shorter too).

A couple of years ago we were in Vancouver (great city!). It was a beautiful, hot day and we rented some bicycles to ride around Stanley Park, which was great fun. When we got nearly all the back around to where we started, we came upon a huge, gorgeous municipal pool. We were tired and sweaty and just happened to both be wearing bathing suits under our clothes. So we stopped, locked up the bikes, rented lockers and towels and spent the next hour enjoying a lovely splash in that pool. It was the perfect way to end our bike ride.

As we were paddling around, we were both just giddy with delight and we couldn't exactly figure out why. Then we decided it was like when you're a kid and you're with your parents somewhere. You see something you *really* want to do but your parents invariably said something like "we'll see" or "maybe later"... only this time we *did* get to stop and do that thing on a whim. It felt so wonderful and free!

[achtung_circus]

29. LOTS.

Sometimes it seems like life is best described as snapshots, but this is one I'll always traesure.

Until 1994 a very large, undeveloped armed forces base in southern Alberta, CFB Suffield, was unbroken prairie populated primarily by feral horses. The population began to get out of control due to the absence of a predator. The Army made the decision to remov the horses from the base and return it to a more natural state.

The Alberta SPCA undertook to inspect every location or facility that received a horse. I saw a lot of horses that year. Many had never seen a fence or a bale of hay or an automatic waterer before, but they adapted.

One man received about 30 mares. He had a ginormous ranch in north central Alberta and was turning it from aspen forest into grassland.

We drove along tracks for miles, stopping every mile or so to pass through a gate. We drove up to the top of a hill, the sun was blazing and the breeze was fairly strong. There was nothing in sight, not a fence, or a road or a building or any other sign that it was the 20th century. No horses, either.

He took an empty 5 gallon pail out of the back of the truck and rattled it.

Oh, so far away, you could hear a scream. Then there was a very faint sound of drumming which rapidly increased until you could feel it.

The horses swept up over the crest of the hill at a full gallop and swirled around us. After about 5 minutes they had come to a stop and he spilled oats onto the ground for them as their reward for coming at his call.

[MorningGlow]

34. Woooowww...

:wow:

That must have been an amazing thing to experience--a real "thundering herd"!

Side note: Ooooh LOVES me some ponies! :D

[grace0418]

37. Amazing! I would love to experience that!

Is that an actual picture from that time? Wow!

[achtung_circus]

40. No, that's a Google image search.

I had a camera with me but was too stunned to use it. The actual location was a hilltop.

On edit: It was this general area

[grace0418]

44. I can understand that. I think I would have trouble functioning if

saw that incredible scene. That happened to me on Orcas Island once. We were driving around taking pictures when we rounded a curve in the road and came upon a herd of llamas grazing in a beautiful field. The sunlight was coming through some clouds and the trees like something out of a cheesy religious painting. We stopped the car and watched in amazement as the llamas went about their business but I completely forgot to take a picture. It probably wouldn't have done it justice anyway.

[fudge stripe cookays]

42. They're so beautiful!

I have found some cousins in Alberta, and one of the aunts and her husband helped to run the Bar U for many years before it was broken up and sold. I love seeing the old pictures of the place, with them branding and breaking mares and such.

But when they're free and unconstrained like in your picture, they are the most incredible creatures on earth.

[achtung_circus]

46. Here's another ALberta story.

I used to drive home some nights, depending on where I was, through Elk Island National Park, just east of Edmonton- I lived at the north end.

It was around 11:00 p.m. and I was tooling up the narrow winding road. You drive it slowly, because you never know what's around the corner, especially at night.

Out of the dark came a thundering herd of bison. I stood on the brakes and the herd parted and swept around the truck. They smelled dusty and their eyeballs glowed in the headlights.

Then they were gone.

On edit:

[fudge stripe cookays]

62. Awwwww COOOOOOOOOOL!

I can tell I'm gonna like it there just fine. If I can ever get up that is!

[Kali]

49. nice

coming in after a long morning gathering. Riding drag in the dust. Keeping the babies going all the way to the corral. Pulling off the saddle and feeling your horse's AAAAAAAHHHHHHHness.

[achtung_circus]

50. Then sticking your head in the trough,

feeling the water in your hair, thinking about beer or lemonade.

On edit: drag sux.

[Kali]

52. eh - it makes the best boogers.

Dust (from the ground/hooves) never bothers me. Now the crap all over everything in the house? Bleh!

[achtung_circus]

54. How many people know what we're talking about? nt.

[Kali]

58. hee hee

I don't get to do this very often in this environment. The left and especially the American Democratic party has really alienated rural people.


Had a friend and his two daughters out today. He has some country experience but the girs were CITY. Took them down to the corral to pet the dogie and my old saddle horses. One girl was prancing around the DRY horse apples scared to get "poop" on her shoes. I of course was barefoot. Hey, it's spring.

[achtung_circus]

61. Spring?

I took this photo yesterday.

[Kali]

63. ...

:wow:

of course being who I am, I am trying to calculate how much grass-growing moisture that represents :rofl:

So would that be like the last storm of winter? Or do you have a lot more coming? Not sure if I told you this but we had frozen pipes just last week, but the last 3 or 4 days it's been in the upper 70's - almost HOT in the sun.

[achtung_circus]

64. March came in like a lion

and I hope that's the last. That pic was taken a couple of hours north in the snow belt. Still, no bets being made, although it was melting today.

Whaddya mean 70's almost hot? That's just poking me with a stick.

[Kali]

65. well it'll probably be 100 next week, so I really shouldn't call 70 or 80 hot

oh and those are all good old American degrees. :P

[HEyHEY]

31. Well, hmmm... perhaps this one... I was 20 years old

And had spent a summer learning French at Universite De Moncton. After the course, Myself and about 10 other people stayed to do a work experience program in French for a month. We had the entire universite dorm to ourselves. During that time we threw kick ass parties that we invited the locals we met to. And all of us became so close. It was my first time away from home with freedom, I went to boarding school when I was 16, but the windows were bolted shut.
Anyway, I was 3,000 miles away from home and in a new part of the country. And learned so much from these amazing new friends.
So, when it was all over we decided to have two more days in Sackville, New Brunswick at my friend's house. Those of us that could stay longer went... we bid an extremely treary goodbye to the rest, including the girl I had recently hooked up with.
So, we all arrived in Sackville.... the others went for a nap. But I went to a bar called duckies and sat down. I asked for something dark... the bartender reccomended "Clancy's"
So, there I sat, drinking a Clancy's and reflecting on what to this day is still the greatest summer of my life. In the time it took to drink that beer I realized how much I had changed, how I now had a better understanding of who I was and what I wanted to do from there. It was an amazing feeling, I felt like I had it all figured out.
That 15 minutes it took to drink that beer is my submission.

[grace0418]

38. Fantastic. I hope everyone has at least one summer like that in their life.

I know I do. :hi:

[fudge stripe cookays]

32. Another one of my happiest...

As many here know, reprehensor and I were an internet relationship.

We met through personalpossiblities.com in December of 1998, and by February things had heated up quite a bit, and we knew it was getting serious. We agreed to meet (he was in Alberta, I in Dallas). So at the end of March, he flew down.

It was magic. The minute he stepped off the plane, we just knew. It was understood. We went home and did what came naturally.

I'd told him that my incredibly overprotective mother was not going to let me rest until she met him. She is down near Austin (200 miles south), so we made a quick jaunt for the weekend and stayed in Austin, had dinner with her etc. Everyone approved.

We had a cheap, crappy Super 8 hotel room, which was all I could afford at the time, but just being in that room, holding each other...being together. We felt more safe and secure than we'd ever felt with anyone else before-- it was pretty overwhelming for both of us. I smile whenever I think of the beginning of "us."

[grace0418]

43. What a lovely story!

I'm so happy for you. Now take him to Paris! ;)

[fudge stripe cookays]

45. Working on it!

We've both been...I think we're actually move revved up to see Rome or Berlin or Amsterdam so we can see some new stuff too.

but yeah...there is that romance factor!

[GOPisEvil]

48. "...we just knew."

I had that experience this past December 29. It's the best feeling in the world. :)

:loveya:

[fudge stripe cookays]

78. I've been noticing you guys...

making all kissy face on the boards and stuff, and I thought "Now, when did that happen?" Congratulations! Nice to see you so happy! :D

[GOPisEvil]

88. Are we THAT transparent?

:D

First phone call Nov. 22. Her first visit here in December. My first visit there last month. My next visit in a week and a half.

Didn't know I could BE this happy! :bounce:

[fudge stripe cookays]

91. Woo hoo!

Bet you ARE excited! I remember those days.

But it's much better when you're finally together. Got any ideas in that department? I know you just bought that house awhile back.

:thumbsup:

[GOPisEvil]

93. Eventually she's moving down here.

We're looking at maybe another year at most. Sucks, but real life takes time sometimes.

[fudge stripe cookays]

98. We've been there...

Stay strong!

Took us from March of 99 until May of 2000 until he could finally get moved down. And we had to go through INS.

You can do it! :D

[grace0418]

39. Thank you for this thread MorningGlow.

It's really made me feel good to think of those happy memories and to read others. What a great thread!

[Kali]

41. Great story.

Now I have to read the rest.

[Cabcere]

47. This is a great thread!

I'm smiling just reading through all of these memories, and I have a few of my own to contribute...

Rowing is a great source of good "little memories" for me, even though I only rowed for two semesters (sprained a ligament in my back freshman year, then re-injured it after taking a semester-long break - it never really healed properly, so I had to quit for good). Some of my favorite memories are fragments from different morning practices, the kind that make getting up at 4:30 AM, stumbling around with boats and oars in the dark, and getting cold and damp completely worth it. One time, we rowed past a tree with a majestic bird perched in it, and in that same practice a fish jumped up out of the water as we rowed past. Another time, we were practicing technique drills in an inlet, and our coach told us to turn the boat around and stop. We did as we were told, expecting criticism from him, but instead he just pointed out the morning sky, and we all just sat there for a few minutes to watch the sunrise. :) It was beautiful.

Several of my other favorite "little memories" come from one week that I spent with a good friend/significant other last winter. We were driving down to his apartment in Florida, and I fell asleep for a little while in the passenger seat. We had been listening to music, but he had apparently turned it off while I was sleeping, and when I woke up he smiled and said, "I have something for you." He turned the CD player back on, and it was already cued up to U2's "City of Blinding Lights." Driving into the sun and palm trees while listening to him sing along at "Oh, you look so beautiful tonight..." is one of my favorite memories. I told him afterwards that that was one of the most amazingly romantic things that anyone had ever done for me, and he said that he hadn't really planned it, but that he was glad it made me happy. :) Other good memories from that week include walking on the beach in the evenings, dancing in the sand to the music playing at the bars, standing and looking out to sea with his arms around my waist and my hair blowing in the wind, and just feeling well and truly loved. :loveya: That was probably one of the happiest weeks of my life.

[grace0418]

51. I love your stories.

Feeling well and truly loved is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

[Cabcere]

53. Thank you!

I've enjoyed reading all the stories on this thread. :) And yes, it is wonderful to feel loved like that. :loveya: I hope everyone experiences that feeling at least once in their life. :hi:

[Cobalt-60]

55. It was the day I got a grip on the universe

I'm a nerd, so don't be shocked.
In structures that we computed what the loaded behavior of an aluminum beam should be - how far and which way it would bend.
Up until that moment I was just crunching numbers and equations.
When we brought that beam out and loaded it it deflected just as the computations suggested it would.
Sweet.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

56. My son's glassy-eyed-with-joy look as I took him to Chuck E, Cheese yesterday...

My life is full of these little moments; so I thought I'd mention the most recent. :D

[carly denise pt deux]

59. about 23 years and 60 lbs. ago

I was riding with my boyfriend on the local strip. A car with 2 guys pulled up beside us, and they started making kissy faces and whistling at me and I was smiling back at them......the driver was not watching where he was going, and ended up rear-ending the car in front of him. I smiled at him and we drove past.

It really isn't a very nice moment but it makes me snicker when I think of it.

[Wapsie B]

60. Locking.

No sex threads. :evilgrin:

[Shell Beau]

66. Two of my good friends and I went on a road trip. It was the first for us as we were only 18.

It was only a few hours away but it was awesome. Almost a write of passage. We got there and saw a tattoo parlor. We had always talked about getting one. But we rode past it and talked about getting one. ALmost jokingly. I said let's just do it. I was driving so I pulled a u-turn and pulled in. We all went in still not so sure about it all. We already had in mind what we would get since we had been talking about it forever. The other 2 about chicken out. I didn't. I was getting one. They decided that I would have to go last. I wanted to go 1st and get it over with. Well, my best friend goes first. It takes 45 minutes. 45 minutes of her crying over the pain and the guy having to stop and then start. Stop and start. I am getting a little nervous. The next friend goes. Hers takes an hour. Much of the same starting and stopping mixed with tears. My turn. After seeing them go, I am almost freakin' out. I sit down and do it. 15 minutes tops. I realized they were just big babies. Didn't hurt. In fact, kinda felt good (but I have a high pain tolerance and sometimes like pain, freaky I know). But that started our first road trip as adults. I don't regret my tattoo! And every time I look at it, I remember that great trip. Awesome!!

Also, my very 1st trip to Bourban St. in New Orleans!! Can't ever ever ever beat that!

[fizzgig]

67. here's a few more

i was visiting my seester in oregon a few summers ago and she took me to cannon beach. it was late august but the water was still freezing cold. i waded out to mid-calf, buried my feet in the sand and just stared out across the water. i don't think i've ever had the same sense of peace before or since.

during that trip i had to sleep on the couch in the living room, but every morning her roommate (with whom i'd had a fling) would kiss my forehead on his way to work.

i was very angry as a young kid and my mom was very big on letting us take mental health days. on one such day, she went out and bought us some fried chicken and rented a bunch of movies. we sat on the couch all day, just the two of us. for all that we fought when i was younger, i can see now that she really loved me.

my life is a series of snapshots of moments such as these and for that, i feel very lucky. thank you for starting this thread.

[grannylib]

69. The first day I discovered wild orchids myself in the north woods of

Minnesota really made me happy - got some good pictures and did a couple of halfway decent (for me!) sketches.

I also remember my brother bringing me home a pair of goldfish when I was about 3 or 4; I sucked my fingers and he hated it and bribed me with fish to make me stop. He brought them home in two little baggies filled with water, twist-tied to the handlebars of his bike. I was pretty excited about that, and just remember seeing these poor little fishies swaying madly back and forth as he rode up the driveway...

[wildhorses]

70. riding on a scuba boat off the shore of maui

it was beautiful sunny may day and the dolphins where jumping our wake...so close i could reach out and touch them...it was like magic, that day

[NJCher]

72. Lost

I have a thing for living on the side of a mountain. I live on one now but there was a time when I lived on the side of another mountain--the highest "mountain" in NJ: High Point Mountain.

Every day for exercise, I would hike up and down the mountain. As those of you who regularly exercise with a routine walk or run know, there are certain "landmarks" one develops. My landmark was this huge old house called the Kaiser Mansion. It was empty and off limits. There was a fence built around it to keep would-be explorers out because it was not safe to go in there anymore. But oh! It was so big! It was always breathtaking when it came into view as one went round the trail.

My custom became to sit on a rock or a bench and look at the house, resting a bit before I continued my hike. I would wonder what it must have been like at its prime. Since I have a rather fanciful imagination, I would often "see" the activities of the former residents of that mansion--the quiet moments they must have had in the mornings, looking down the mountain, through the beautiful trees. Probably magnificent dances and parties and family gatherings.

Having spent so much time wondering about this mansion, it one day occurred to me that the mansion was haunted by a live person outside--me! Rather the opposite of a mansion being haunted inside by ghosts.

That exercise session had started rather late in the day. Before I knew it, it was dark and I was trying to find my way through the trails back to the base of the mansion. I was getting very worried that I might get lost and not get out of there. It was then that the magical moment occurred.

Lightning bugs illuminated the way for me. I know--I know--it sounds so crazy, but they did! As I ran down the trail, the bugs would show me the way. But not only that--there were little animals like chipmunks scampering down the rock walls that lined the trails. I said to myself, "This is like a Disney movie!" And it was--just completely out of the ordinary and such a special moment.

I arrived at the base of the mountain and was able to return home with no problem. But I will never forget that sight of the lightening bugs and the chippies, running alongside me, showing me the way home.




Cher

[grace0418]

74. That is incredible!

It's such a nice story to imagine, since it's been a long cold winter in Chicago and just the thought of lightening bugs makes me happy. I would love to live near mountains too, none of those around here. Illinois is as flat as it gets.

[QMPMom]

75. August 2003, Skagway, Alaska.

We had driven to Whitehorse, Yukon. My parents had flown to Whitehorse from Indiana to meet us where we were to pick up our son at an Army Cadet summer camp.

After picking up our son and spending a few more days in the Yukon, we drove to Alaska. One night in Skagway my husband and I were in desperate need of some alone time. Not "that" kind of alone time, just time away from the others. (Five adults in a Dodge Caravan with enough luggage for 12 people - it was much like the provercial sardine can!) After a long day we got everyone all settled into the motel and then went to "get gas". Well, so it wasn't a total lie, we did gas up the van and then headed straight to the Red Onion Saloon.

We sat there with our drinks and the most delicious Cambozola pizza just enjoying the atmoshpere. It was probably the most memorable night of the whole trip and it had already been an amazingly wonderful trip even before that night.

[bertha katzenengel]

76. I nearly took my coach's head off with a line drive during batting practice

Dumbass underestimated me because I wasn't much of a player -- but I had my moments. She walked onto the field when I stepped up. She was standing in the 3-4 hole and looking toward the dugout, laughing at something someone said, when I effing drilled it right. at. her. head. She looked toward the plate just in time and ducked, falling flat on her back.

She made me DH,* and I had the third-highest batting average that season, and the second most RBIs.

* Our pitcher was afraid of the ball. This was a tiny, tiny Baptist college. If you were a woman offered an athletic scholarship, you had to agree to play all three sports -- basketball, volleyball, and softball -- to qualify. :eyes: Softball was her weakest sport, but she could pitch.

[YankeyMCC]

79. At the end of a long hot hike through

the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness area my son and I cooled off in the very cold waters of the trailside brook, much to the chagrin of my wife because of course we did not pack bathing suits.

It's all about making memories :)

[fight4my3sons]

80. My dad picking me up at La Guardia.

He had visitation every summer for 7 weeks, so I would fly from Texas where I lived with my mom to see him. I did this from the time I was 7 yrs old until I was 15. My favorite moments were coming off the plane knowing he would be there waiting for me. :loveya:

[hippywife]

81. More bittersweet than happy

but a few months before my grandmother died, she was in the hospital and I was staying the night in her room with her, sleeping in a geri-chair. It was very late and dark in the room in the middle of the night and I heard her softly call my name. When I answered, she just said, "I love you." I told her I loved her, too.

She's been gone 12 years now and I miss her all the time.

[datasuspect]

82. when me, potsie, and the fonz got a jug of PCP

and took the bopsie twins to inspiration point.

[GenDem]

83. About 18 years ago

I worked for a company that did a lot of business with China. We had some Chinese in town for training (yeah they did end up outsourcing just about the entire company a few years later) The CEO asked all of us to pick a day to bring them home with us to get them out of their hotel rooms.

I had them one Saturday.

Only one spoke enough English to communicate. My boys were in Little League at the time, and Saturday was a full day of great baseball at our local field. We brought my charges along for all the local fun at the Little League field. Morningglow, you know I live in LeRoy, so just imagine 6 Chinese nationals converging onto small town America to witness America's greatest past time? It was a hoot!!!! One of the coaches asked, kiddingly, if we were bringing in scouts. The coolest thing that happened, so spontaneously, was when my boys got up to bat. My Chinese friends, who all sat on the top row of the bleachers stood each and every time one of my kids got into the batters box to take their pitches. They all clapped, whistled, and cheered uproariously. They were way over the top, which made this so cool. When their at bats were over and my kids ran back onto the field, they again gave them standing ovations and applause. The locals loved it, we loved it, and the Chinese nationals had a ball.

After they returned to China, weeks later, I received the most beautiful silk scarf as an appreciation gift for their day at the ball field.

[GenDem]

84. One more important thing

GREAT thread!!!!! Thanks for posting this, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every "memory"!!!
:hug: :grouphug:

[MorningGlow]

89. Thanks, neighbor!

:hi:

And thanks for posting your fantastic memory! Six Chinese guys in LeRoy? Unheard of!

:rofl:

I just now (2:00 p.m.) caught up with the rest of the thread, and I'm so glad to see such a great response--these stories are getting me all choked up! :)

[alarimer]

85. A year or so ago I was out in my kayak on a Sunday morning

on a very calm day, when you would expect to see a lot of other boats, people fishing, etc. But there was not a soul around. No boats even on the horizon. It was just the most peaceful day. I felt like I was alone in the universe. It was great.

[GalleryGod]

86. they would be private

eom

[Rising Phoenix]

87. my dad...rip...

woke us all up in the middle of the night one winter...brought us downstairs with a bunch of blankets, he had hot chocolate ready. We all sat outside, bundled up, drinking our cocoa and watching an unbelievable meteor shower. I loved it!

[ThatsMyBarack]

90. Meeting Big Bird at the Ice Follies in 1977/1978.

[cleveramerican]

92. seeing the president make a speech

on July4,1976 the Bicentennial, at the old north bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, along with thousands of other boy scouts.

[Dude_CalmDown]

94. Snowboarding for the first time in too long...

...a little more stoned than I probably should have been, going a lot faster than I should have been. Jumping over a friend who fell in right front of me like something out of a Mountain Dew commercial, actually clearing him completely and landing perfectly. Looking like it was all skill and not the pure luck that it was. It still makes me smile thinking of it.

[Deja Q]

95. My first home computer

:loveya:

16kb. Little memory indeed, but I loved it.

[skygazer]

96. When I was 15 years old

The summer before, we'd looked at a horse and really liked him but couldn't take him at that time. The following year, we heard he was available again so we called and took him sight unseen, since we'd already tried him out.

The plan was that my dad would drive me over with a saddle and bridle and I'd ride him home, alone, about 25 miles cross country.

We got there to discover that the people who'd taken him had practically ruined him. He was headshy and skittish, very hard to catch, nervous, hard to saddle, hard to mount, etc. It took close to an hour just to catch him and since it was obvious that he was nervous around men (which he hadn't been before), my dad left me to do it while he talked to the family, who told him the horse had thrown every single one of them multiple times.

I came out leading the horse finally and heard one of the men ask my dad, "You're going to let that little girl ride that crazy horse home all by herself?"

And without blinking an eye, my dad said, "Oh, yeah. She can do it."

I've had my ups and downs with my dad but I'll never forget that. It still makes me feel good to know he had so much confidence in me.


Oh, and it was an interesting ride but I got him home fine - he turned out to be a wonderful horse once I gentled him back down. This is us -

[Morgana LaFey]

100. Wow! Magnificent

both of you.

[Redstone]

101. My mornings sitting in a tree in our apple orchard and watching the fog lift.

Redstone