80s Nostalgia

My sister Kera sent a thoroughly entertaining email yesterday. The subject line intrigued me so I opened it, even though I had a million other things to get done right at the moment.

"The best 80s email ever" made me laugh. It caused me embarrassment too, surfacing thoughts like, "I can NOT believe I did that."

I identified with every single item on the list. And I can't say that is a bad thing, because well, that's how it was back then. So just for the record, I thought I'd reminisce about the 80s on a real personal level just in case my kids need to know how "cool" their mom was "way back when."

And because I have a haunch that many of you, my awesome blog readers are also products of the 80s, I'd be delighted if you leave a comment about anything you identify with on this list. It'll be fun!

You Know You Grew Up in the 80s If:

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.
Why, why, was it cool to say this? It sounds so lame now.

2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton
Gotta love Will Smith.

3. You know that 'WOAH' comes from Joey on Blossom

4. If you ever watched 'Fraggle Rock'

5. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
So I loved watching the Smurfs on Saturday mornings. I can remember hearing my mom come down the stairs... I knew that was a bad sign 'cause when Mom was coming down the stairs she always said the same thing, "Kids, it's time to turn off the TV and do your jobs. Your list is upstairs on the counter." Sure enough, my mom was the awesomest list maker ever. Every Saturday she lovingly made each of us a list with our assigned Saturday jobs. Why am I telling you this? Well, because I don't really remember watching anything that came on after the Smurfs because the TV was turned off by then. :)

6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
Even better was a french braid across the back of your head and THEN the pony tail on the side. Totally killer.

7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.

8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
I loved these and owned one in every color. Had some pretty hip belts and leggings too. Also, "units" anyone?



9. You played the game 'MASH'(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
Hours, and hours and hours baby.

10. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
This is real-life story. I was in the 6th grade when this fad was part of my life. I wanted a jacket so bad. All of my friends were collecting buttons and pins to put on their jackets, so it was absolutely essential that I have a jacket for all of my buttons and pins. One night while the parents were out, I searched through our coat closet until I found an old, greasy demin jacket that probably belonged to my dad. I ran it through the wash several times, trying to get it clean and get that nasty farm smell out of it. When it was as good as it could possibly get, I was proud to call it my very own jacket. Sure, it was more than the wrong size but I didn't care; now I had a cool jacket for all of my pins. Thankfully, Grandma Delma gave me a new jacket for my birthday a few weeks later. Now that I think about it....how embarrassing. My mom was probably mortified that I wore that jacket to school every day.

11. You know the profound meaning of 'WAX ON , WAX OFF'
Star Theatre, right side, sat on the heaters against the wall with Cody. Our Moms had been bagging and freezing corn all day and let us go to the movie on a school night.

12. You wanted to be a Goonie.
Well, I didn't want to be a Goonie. I was kinda freaked out by the deformed guy in the dungeon.

13. You wore fluorescent clothing. (Some of us...head-to-toe)
You betcha, with parachute pants.

14. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off, his cheeks shifted and his nationality became questionable.
Very sad. But his music still rocks.

15. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.

16. You took lunch boxes to school...and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard. The only things that stand out to me at recess were trading Garbage Pail Kids and playing marbles in the spring. My mom made me a cute purple sack to carry my marbles in.

17. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
Loved em

18. You still get the urge to say 'NOT' after every sentence.
Annoying. Why did we do this?



19. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
So crucial to a friendship back then. And by the way, bracelets are tonz better than just saying BFF. Thanks to my sister Jennie, she had a little factory going in her bedroom, making all kinds of bracelets to seal friendships together forever. Any color of thread. Making up her own designs. This girl was amazing! (She still is amazing! :)



20. You owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
Oh, how I loved "jellies." Claudine and I would get on our bikes and ride to K&J's to pick out our favorite ones. The summer was when I had three pair - clear, blue and pink...could wear them with anything, every day. Awesome.

21. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying 'I know you are, but what am I?'
Another embarrassing one. My family will attest that before I was "Fayrene" I was Pee Wee's impersonator.

22. You remember 'I've fallen and I can't get up'

23. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates. Absolutely. The quality skating rink in Redmond was on the finest quality for skating entertainment, well, kinda...compared to 49th Street Galleria.

24. You have ever played with a Skip-It.

25. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
The boom-box, an essential for a teenager who loved Tiffany, Madonna, Debbie Gibson, and listening to Fisher and Todd on the KISN Morning Show.

26. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.

27. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
Actually, I think Ricky Schroeder was hotter. But, the all-time hottie on my list was Jake on Sixteen Candles. Hottie in a plaid shirt in front of the red Porsche. Yowza!

28. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.

29. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as 'NKOTB'
You better believe it.

30. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on 'Saved By The Bell,' The ORIGINAL class.
The original Screech was the best.

31. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
And you're to blame...you give love a bad name. My first "rock" tape was Def Leppard - Hysteria.

32. You just sang those words to yourself

33. You still sing 'We are the World'
I loved this song! I remember singing to it while a bunch of us were all piled in a car...no seat belts mind you...and driving to the Snow College swimming pool for a birthday party.

34. You tight rolled or french cuffed your jeans. And still debate on which is the right term!
This was an essential fashion must-do. I prefer to call them rolled cuffed jeans, in case you're wondering.

35. You owned a banana clip.
You better believe I did! This was something I used DAILY for years.

36. You remember 'Where's the Beef?'

37. You used to (and probably still do) say 'What you talkin' 'bout Willis?'
The funny thing is, I said this to Aiden about two weeks ago. His response was, "I'm NOT Willis, Mom."

38. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!

39. Your hair looked like this for at least one school picture!



I do have evidence to support the fact that I did have hair like that. When I was leaving for my 7th grade band concert I walked out of the bathroom and my mom said, "You're not leaving here with your hair like that." The end result was some tears and my mom trying to run a brush through my matted, sticky, ratted hair. I'm not looking forward to having teenagers. Oh, the trauma of the bangs to heaven era.