Box of High School

One of my summer goals was to clean out the closet in my craft room. In it was the big box of belongings from when mt bedroom became the guest room while I was at college. I found all of these picture frames with photos that were simply too good not to share.

There was one frame dedicated to The Freshmen. There were four of us who left our junior high each day to go up to the high school and play the glorious sport of badminton. Yep, badminton. It took me a full year to realize there was a letter N in it. We pretty much became best friends for life. Even had lunch together a few weeks ago.

My friend Lorin drove this awesome orange truck (one of our school colors) so we took our team pics in it.

This was also in the frame.

Along with this one of Lorin who lived next door to me forever.

My friend Jayme (Isn't she beautiful?)
drew this picture when she gave me the frame and I loved it so it stayed in forever

 

Notice how I'm taller than everyone and that I loved Japan. Pertinent since these were the picture that graced my 3 ring binder that year.

My graduation present was a trip to Japan to visit my former foreign exchange student. It was technically the summer after my junior year and  the country quickly became my favorite. It's beautiful and the people are so nice. But really, I just loved it for the self-esteem boost. Random people would come up to me and ask me if I was a model. Asuka (my exchange student) got sick of translating it it happened so often. I had super white skin, was tall, had red hair, and had a front that only exists on asian women in anime cartoons. All of this is beautiful to the Nihonjin (japanese for japanese) but was completely lost on the male population of my high school. My boyfriendless status in the states had me convinced I was ugly. Here was my thinking geometric proof style.


1) Boys like pretty girls: given
2) Boys like pretty girls even if they are mean and terrible: Cheating Cheerleader Theorum
3) No boys like me: lack of homecoming date postulate
4) If no boys like me, I'm not pretty: law of contropositive statements
5) I'm not pretty: transitive property

Japan did a decent job helping to repair that teenage angst. Then I just dwelled on how unfair it was to be a tall, smart, outgoing girl teenager. In all fairness, I was pretty obnoxious and that whole list is a lot to take in when you are a high school fella. Thankfully, college was better. Much better.

Although still took Japanese 101 so I could always move to Japan equipped with more than my two survival phrases.

Anata wa kawaii desu: you are cute

Chuste: kiss me

photobooths were EVERYWHERE!