Remember when...

Ok, so I'm not that old- 21.5 years to be exact (which puts me growing up in the 1989-2000ish era) But this fact makes my post even more validating... times have changed SO much throughout my lifetime.

I remember when gas was only $.83 for a gallon. The day it went over $1, people were going nuts. I'd give anything to pay only $1/gal for gas again!!






I remember my parents' first phone that wasn't a land-line: the "bag phones" we called them. They were only for emergencies and cost something ridiculous like 50 cents a minute. Plus the reception wasn't too great either.




I remember fashion trends... like putting tons of scented glitter on my cheeks, wearing overalls and thinking cornrows were the coolest hairstyle because my friends always had them when they got back from a cruise or somewhere exotic.






I remember having a giga pet... small keychains with electronic animals on them that you had to feed, play with and take care of. If you did not have a giga pet, you were NOT cool. Along with giga pets came those weird Furby things. I never quite got into those, but maybe it's just because my mom wouldn't buy me one.




I remember when Britney Spears was my idol...and actually a good role model. I memorized every word to "Baby One More Time," then after her "Oops! I did it again" CD, my mom didn't really want me looking up to her anymore.

But wait... I remember the days BEFORE CDs even existed. My sister and I would sit and listen to the radio ALL day to hear our favorite song come on. We actually called the radio to request Amy Grant, "Baby, Baby" and then when it came on we would record it on our tape player. We had quite a few "mix tapes."

I remember when printer paper had perforated edges with holes in that you had to rip off. I made a lot of art projects and wrote a lot of stories and poems on this paper.

I remember when we had to use phone books, dictionaries and encyclopedias... back in the day when most people didn't know what the Internet (or World Wide Web) even was.

I remember popular TV shows like Saved by the Bell, Salute Your Shorts, Hey Arnold!, Full House, Eureka's Castle (which I hated) and...The Littl' Bits (my FAVORITE show ever!!) I can still remember this theme song so when I found it on You Tube and sang every word, it was a very happy flashback. For those of you who were not fortunate enough to watch the Littl' Bits, here's a little taste:


I remember the Beanie Baby CRAZE. And yes, it was a hysteria of sorts. My mom was very understanding when it came to my NEED for beanie babies. She waited in line with me for over 3 hours just for 1 beanie baby. I'm not sure why they were so awesome... but I had to collect as many as possible.

Bongo was one of my favorites. Oh and to clarify, beanie babies were only cool if they were name branded "Ty." Off-brands were not acceptable. And don't ask me why... it's a little ridiculous, I know.

Other toys I loved: the Playground Kids. I had a few Barbies, shared an American Girl Doll with my sister... but no dolls came close to the Playground Kids. They had floppy arms and legs, their hands could grip bike handles, zip lines, hair brushes and Popsicles. Seriously the BEST toys in the whole world. If I can still find these once I have little girls, I will buy every doll ever made!!

The only other doll that might come close was my Cabbage Patch Doll. I think these are still around- but maybe not as popular because now they have electronic dolls that can pee and talk and probably do your math homework too. I miss the days when things were more imaginative. Speaking of my dolls, I had a favorite one that I named Edna. Someone stole her though, and my mom tried to replace her but it didn't work. No baby doll could ever replace Edna.


I remember the OJ Simpson trials, and my grandpa's anger that he wasn't given the death sentence or life in prison. I remember when Princess Diana died and hearing about her car accident on the news. I kept picturing it my mind over and over. I felt so sad because I didn't think princesses should die. I remember when the Titanic first came out and my bus driver told me I shouldn't see it because it was more about a love story than history. But I saw it anyways. I closed my eyes during the "gross love scenes" and also when the poor people were trapped on the bottom of the boat. I cried when they didn't make it out, as I was peeking between my fingers. My sister bought the soundtrack and I listed to "My Heart Will Go On" every day after school.

I remember when President Clinton was impeached, and when George W. Bush was elected twice. I remember when everyone thought the world was going to end and all computers would crash when it turned from 1999 to 2000. I remember Columbine and feeling so scared to go to school. I made an extra effort to be nice to everyone, especially the lonely kids. Not for my own benefit, but because I wanted everyone to feel like they had a friend who cared.

I remember the day the terrorists few the planes into the World Trade Centers. I was an office aid, walking around Edgewood Middle School in 7th grade. I was delivering passes to an 8th grade math class and they told me to come in a watch the TV. We watched it happen and no one said anything. Then my 7th period history teacher told everyone it was just speculation and there was no confirmation that is was real, so we weren't going to watch it. When I got home from school I watched the news for 4 hours. I couldn't believe it was real. I didn't believe anyone would do that on purpose. I remember listening to President Bush's response to the "acts of terror" and I felt so comforted and proud to be an American.

I remember a lot of things from my childhood and teenage years. I'm sure there's a lot more I could say about growing up since 1989, but I just wanted to write down a few key things that came to my mind. I know I will experience many more trends, styles and important historical events in the future and it's crazy to think about how technology continues to change our world. I think for another post, I will predict what the world will be like by the time I'm 85 years old: the year 2074. Whoa, I need to start imagining...