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In An Envelope…

November 17, 2009 by Joy the Baker 106 Comments

School Days 

Here’s a fun fact:  my Mom is a scrapbooker.  She’s a serious scrapbooker.  She’s got the paper cutters, the corner choppers, the fancy albums and colorful background paper… there are stickers…. so so many stickers.  She’s for real.  Scrapbooking is the new rubber stamping.  Remember the rubber stamp craze!?  Yea, we’ve moved on.  Scrapbooking. 

I went to my parents’ house a few days ago to find these envelopes gracing the brick fireplace.  The envelope in front had my name on it.  I was hoping for an early Christmas stocking.  Boy oh boy did I get it.  Among other darling and embarrassing photos of myself, I found a chronological history of my school days.  From preschool to high school.  Every cute, awkward and downright horrifying picture.  

Now.  Because I don’t know any better.  Because I’m certifiably batty… allow me to share with you preschool through seventh grade.  The later, more awkward years will follow, and we’ll all cry. 

School Days 

Though she will deny it, my Mom gave me this haircut herself.  I remember very well.  Even at four, I knew how ridiculous I looked.  

School Days 

First grade.  Somehow I think I rise above this bowl haircut.  

School Days 

Second grade.  That tiny headband is failing…. big time.  Nice frock.  I would totally rock that these days. Is that weird?  That’s weird. 

School Days 

Nice corner fading third grade!  I feel like there are some serious adult teeth hiding out in that mouth.  

School Days 

Oooh yes.  Full of teeth.   You have to grow into your teeth.  It’s true.  It’s like puppies with big paws.  Should I tell you how much I loved this Cinco de Mayo dress with matching hair ribbon?  Yes.  A lot.  

School Days 

Mixed girl hair is a hard thing.  It wants to be curly.  It wants to be straight.  It wants to ruin your life.  What are you going to do?  Button your shirt all the way up and hope for the best. 

School Days 

a)  Why do the school photographers make you look in the ceiling corner.  It’s awkward.  

b)  I thought this shirt was so clever.  I was right.  

School Days 

Oooh Joy .  Triangle hair.  So short.  So much volume.  I wish I could have gone back in time to tell you everything would work out ok… but the truth is that you’ve got some seriously awkward years ahead of you.  Yeesh. 

Enjoy the kitchen intermission.  Laugh at me.  Please… go on… laugh.  If your Mom is a scrapbooker, you might not want to laugh as hard.  Your time for an embarrassing envelope will come. 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Miss K

    January 29, 2010 at 5:54 pm

    More more more!!
    You were adorable.

    Reply
  2. Allison

    December 21, 2009 at 8:25 am

    I love that you shared these! It brings back memories of my own history of school photos, and dare I say, scary haircuts by mom!

    Reply
  3. Sarah

    November 28, 2009 at 10:21 am

    I think that shirt is clever. I also had a haircut that my mother gave me when I was five that she maintains was the best my hair ever looked. I have really curly hair and a mom that didn’t understand that you didn’t brush that out. I had no idea I had curly hair until I was well into high school. No one tells little curly girls that they don’t have to brush their hair!!! I feel your big hair in the past pain.

    Reply
  4. Stacy

    November 20, 2009 at 5:10 pm

    you are brave and darling.
    thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  5. Katie

    November 19, 2009 at 8:46 pm

    OOO, you had Molly Ringwald hair in 7th grade! I feel you on the mixed girl hair-thing, I’m Puerto-Rican/Irish (it wants to be a big curly fro-but it can’t so it’s just a frizz bomb). In fact, it took me 23 years to get it under control (sorta). I wish I could go back and tell my younger self how to deal with it, but, alas, I cannot. Also my younger self probably wouldn’t have been willing to spend $18 on shampoo and conditioner….

    Back to you. Isn’t strange how looking back, we weren’t so ugly/awkward/etc. after all? Okay, sometimes we were (usually not the times we expect). But look at you! You were so gosh-darn cute and at the time you were probably thinking *oh, why can’t be x?*. But your Grandma was right, you were beautiful :).

    Reply
  6. Debbi

    November 19, 2009 at 7:32 pm

    My 8th grade photo is used to get terrorists to confess…. nuff said.

    Reply
  7. Ariana from Chicago

    November 19, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    Ok, I know that you MUST know these are seriously cute pictures. Pretty blue eyed girl you were/are!

    Reply
  8. Danny

    November 19, 2009 at 9:32 am

    Wow, it’s like the evolution of man posters… LOL.

    Hey Joy. Just wanted to take this opportunity to say I am very happy for you and extremely proud of you. You’re an amazing person, full of talent and greatness and I am glad you’re unleashing it on the world one set of tastebuds at a time… Though your writing was never anything to sneeze at, either. And photography seems to be treating you quite well…

    Pick up an instrument and you’re a Rennaisance Woman.

    Anyways, Be Well.

    Danny

    Reply
  9. Mary

    November 18, 2009 at 6:48 pm

    I love your 7th grade picture! It’s very Molly Ringwold era-styling…if you weren’t going for that, sorry, I don’t mean it in a bad way at all!

    I fear for the day we have to clean out the “picture drawers” in my mom’s house…there are some scary historical shots in there…oh yeah.

    Reply
  10. Audrey

    November 18, 2009 at 4:28 pm

    You looked so cute in all of them! And I love the triangle cut on you, no matter how poofy the hair got. I agree, mixed-girl hair can be a blessing and a curse. I’m half black and half white–what are you?

    Reply
  11. steph (whisk/spoon)

    November 18, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    i am totally laughing– sorry! more to do with your commentary…the photos are really super cute!

    Reply
  12. jen

    November 18, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    My mom has them in a plastic bin, ready for scrapbooking! Same torture ride through the 80s. She was partial to cutting a huge fringe of bangs, like starting at the top of the head or those evil sponge rollers for school pictures. awful.

    Reply
  13. micah rose

    November 18, 2009 at 2:36 pm

    I agree….mixed girl hair is a lot to deal with…but you have to admit…the drama of it makes it worth it:)
    Great blog:)

    Reply
  14. Jane George

    November 18, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    Hair!! the bane of our existence, at least you did not have to suffer pin curls every night!

    Reply
  15. Miranda

    November 18, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    Love it. I would be very afraid to share some of my hair styles.

    Reply
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