I thought it'd be interesting to share some things about myself from my past and my present since I mostly share about projects and family life. It's fun to remember what I was like at age ten and twenty as I approach thirty this August. (EEK!)
Past
* I didn't have any hair until I was two. Then it was ringlets for awhile. I even had a little bit of a ringlet mullet. Then it was just kind of bushy. Then I had puffy bangs. I finally figured out what to do with my curls again in eighth grade.
* I was much more comfortable on the soccer field than chatting with girl's about hair and make up in seventh grade. I still feel that tom boy in me.
* My English teachers were the most formative teachers throughout my school years. Even the grammar class I took my junior year of college, the one that stressed me out so much that I got a stomach ulcer, taught me something about myself.
* I've been bitten, thrown, and bucked off three different horses. I still feel my ten year old self get excited whenever I see one in a pasture.
* I used to ride bikes with my brother across town to get slushies from a random candy store. We rode bikes everywhere! I loved having that kind of freedom as a kid.
* I remember a lot of Madonna, Michael Jackson, NKOTB, and roller skating.
* I was the one in our group that got violently sick on a mission trip to China in high school.
* The worst thing I did in high school was drive my new car over the Varsity soccer fields to impress my boyfriend. I did donuts in broad daylight and my brother's friend saw me and told my parents.
* I was the new girl at school my freshman year of high school and really liked the attention.
* I've always had to work hard at friendships with girls.
* I went to Paris when I was 18 but it was too cloudy to go up the Eiffel tower and I skipped the Louvre because I had NO IDEA what it was. Silly me.
Present
* I dream of deep friendships, a big old house, slow days, and parties in our backyard.
* I went to renew my license on Monday and failed my driving test. I now have a permit until I take it again next week. This was quite humbling. Brett said it just added to my interestingness. He's nice.
* I love to sew more than I love to journal and I love to thrift more than I love to sew.
* This is the longest my hair has ever been.
* My favorite new shirt (shown above) is from the 80's and kind of reminds me of my mom (in the 80's).
* I miss California. There is no place like California.
* I struggle with initiating things that are necessary to strong friendships. This includes but is not limited to e-mails, phone calls, coffee dates, and surprise visits.
* I'm really good at asking questions and love hearing people's stories.
* I am kind of looking forward to my thirties.
What about you? Feel free to share your own Past and Present below or on your own blog. Let's get personal, personal.
xoxo,
Rachel
71 comments:
What a great post... I am definitely going to start putting together a list for my own blog. Starting to think already...
It's a great way to get to know each other...
Thank you.
p.s. I was the same regarding soccer (most sports). I actually campaigned for girls to be on the inter school soccer team so I didn't have to play netball
For reason I always appreciate small bits of info about people, but I loved when you said you've always had to work on your friendships with girls. So have I and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one!
Love, love, love the blog!
Shaunie
Unknown-Boutique.blogspot.com
i like lots of what you said, but the thing that immediately resonated most with me was the "struggle with things that necessitate strong friendships" thing. it's something i've recognised in myself over the past few years and something i'm working on getting better at. because i dream of and value deep friendships too. good for the soul.
I enjoyed this post :) I resonate with maintaining friendships- I’m not the best at it, but I used to be a brat and a whole lot worse!
In the past- I had dyed, cut, dreadlocked hair and even a shaved head- I was fearless about who I was on the outside. Now I have more doubt than ever and even though I feel strong on the inside physically- what I see in the mirror is far behind what I see on the scale- and I can’t let go of it, no matter how I try... It’s lame- it’s part of what starts me from starting a family (something I DEFINITELY did not want in the past) lol
loved this post. it's great to find out more about you. :)
let's see...really quick:
past--had emergency surgery, lived my whole childhood all over Texas, had baby-pink hair, listened to Slipknot (i don't even know...), hated coffee.
present--fairly healthy, living in PA (BLEH), painting, sewing, repurposing, red/brown hair, listening (currently) to Black Keys, and absolutely, positively addicted to coffee. <3
love this--here's a post about past/present in my life...oh, and life only gets richer in your 30s!!! http://mamaforpeace.blogspot.com/2010/08/circling-around-ode-to-friendship.html
what a great post Rachel! I also dream of the same things but turned 30 last August :)
I totally understand what you mean by struggling to initiate things with friends. I have some awesome friends who I love dearly, but I am so bad at taking that first step to make plans to hang out. Sometimes weeks go by without me seeing them. I need to make more of an effort to pick up the phone, send an email, plan something fun. Sometimes life just gets in the way.
I love these kind of post. It is funny to hear that your are really a tom-boy. You are so cute and girly.
I have to tell you one of my worst fears is having to take the driver's test again and failing. I just passed the first time! Wishing you good vibes!
Ooh, I might do a similar post, too. I always found it very difficult to befriend girls; it's easier now that I live in a city and there more girls around who share my tastes and interests... but I still find it intimidating!
And I LOVE being in my thirties. I spent my twenties rushing to achieve so many goals and establish who I am; in my thirties I don't feel any urgency or uncertainty - I'm just enjoying the life I've made.
fun post! i also feel the same way about horses and have had similar experiences. but when we drive by them a horse squeal always comes out!
recently i posted 100 things about me...not past and present, but still fun to write!
http://imriella.blogspot.com/2011/01/100-things-about-mepart-one.html
allison
First, that is a lovely picture of you, friend! I really enjoyed this post. I sometimes want to get to the "deep" part of friendships so badly that I forget about the initial stages, like getting to know someone.... gosh it sounds like dating all over again!
Boo on the driving test! Those written tests are hard!
I think I will do a similar post like this on my blog this week. Thanks for the honestly and inspiration.
I love this post and I had to laugh because I recognise some things from my past, especially nkotb! HAHA
xo.kyla
I love this post! It's so interesting to see how you grow over time. I hear you about women though. It's so hard to get close to girls these days!
This is so sweet. It's also super funny because I started a new series on Monday where I'm sharing things from my past.
Check it out. It includes some awesome high school pics!
www.corymargrave.blogspot.com
You are precious!
Past-
-I was the girl who held the hair of the girl who got sick on our Youth mission trip to Honduras.
-I did theater from elementary school through the first couple of years of college and I LOVED it. There's just something about the stage.
-I crushed on a lot of my brother's friends.
-My freshman year of college I changed the spelling of my name (unofficially) to Erynn because I was meeting so many Erin's and was annoyed and the lack of uniqueness of my name.
Present-
-I am really bad at maintaining friendships through seasons and distance. But I'm learning. My best friend moved to MO a year ago.
-I hope to adopt children one day.
-I like to write songs more than I like to dance and I like to have deep conversations more than I like to write songs.
-I am really excited about turning 30 (which is still a couple of years away). I just have a feeling that 30 will be awesome!
I love this post, Rachel. I'll be turning 21 this year (in August as well!) and one thing that I really appreciate is that many bloggers are a few years ahead of me and provide some really great insight into life. My own blog has been getting some serious neglect--maybe I'll liven it up again with a Past/Present post!
LOVE THIS POST! I can definitely relate to your comments about it being difficult to make and maintain friendships with other women. I've always been that girl with a lot of male friends, because I appreciate the what-you-see-is-what-you-get dynamics of friendships w/guys--and the fact you don't experience the "girl drama" that still happens, unfortunately, even between grown women. I was blessed tremendously by the circle of girlfriends I met in college; we still talk/text regularly, and try to visit each other as much as possible, even though we are all busy with our families and live distantly from each other. However, I've really struggled to make new friends since college graduation. Right now I can think of just one woman whom I consider a friend...and she is probably more of an acquaintance.
I love this, Rachel! I feel that we are kindred spirits. I long for deep friendships as well and also struggle with the basics necessary to create those relationships. I'm just so shy!
Thanks for sharing!
i also had a ringlet mullet :P
and am with you on the friendships thing. it's not that i have a hard time initiating, it's that i'm ALWAYS the one initiating. i'm constantly meeting people i click with, and am always disappointed when i try to maintain the connection, but it trails off :/
it gets a little discouraging, but i'm not going to stop trying!
I'm with you on the initiating things with friends. For me it isn't that I don't want to hang out or see them. I've always been content either by myself or with my husband at home.
I wonder if, for me, it is because I'm the youngest and my siblings are a good bit older. I'm just use to being by myself and in my own little world.
ps.
love that shirt too!
I once got violently ill on a mission trip - I feel a bond:) Great blog. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing! this was a really sweet post. I was just yesterday thinking about the past and present and mainly how awesome and funny it is to look at our past-selves when we are in our late twenties. Definitely need a list like this one to look back on in the coming years to see how much more I've changed, or stayed the same.
This is a great post! I may have to do something similar on my blog this week. I also have a hard time establishing new friendships now that I'm older (30), I feel kinda out of the loop sometimes. I work at a school that my daughter attends but I feel like sometimes the other mom's shy away from me since I work there and maybe they feel like that's a conflict. BTW, I turned thirty last July and so far it rocks! Love your blog, you are always one of my favorite reads!
Lovely post. I can identify with the bike riding to the candy store and the 80s/90s music. Did you ever collect Garbage Pail Kids? My heart did a little puff-ball ache when I read how you miss Cali, I do too. I'm a huge ocean and continent away and it sometimes breaks my heart to think about it.
This was fun! It's fun to learn more about your favorite bloggers, here is mine http://adarling.net/?p=1127
Loved reading this! = )
And I'm your newest follower!
I really enjoyed your post. Getting into my thirties was the best, everything seemed to just be better. I love to sew and thrift also. I find it hard as a Mom with three kids, working half the time, and trying to stay on top of things to make any friends. Thank goodness for my husband, he's good at being a friend even when he reminds me he isn't a girlfriend!
NKOTB! I am going to see them (and the BSB) this summer! It's sure to bring back some great memories!
I've been wanting to put something like this down on paper for my kids to look at when they're older. What a great idea making it a blog post! Some of them I could have written myself. :)
I struggle with those same friendship builders too :(
ah, just got a bloggy crush on you ~ love this post!
there really is no place like California!!! I love it here.
I also struggle with initiating things in friendships :/
I LOVE your hair right now. It's quite amazing.
Krustal.com
I am turning 30 this year and am afraid
I loved reading this post.
I don't make it over here very often to leave comments, but yours is one of my favorite blogs. I love your honesty and your heart shines through everything you do. You're lovely, Rachel. :)
Great post! It really hit a chord with me as I just turned thirty Sunday. I was nodding to almost everything you posted and it really got me thinking so I put together a list too :) Thanks for the inspiration!
Love this post idea! Definitely will try it on mine soon.
Its really encouraging to see other bloggers being really real and personal. Love it. :)
you inspired me...
http://oliviableske.blogspot.com/2011/03/past-and-present.html
What a sweet list.
And CALIFORNIA! I don't think I could ever move from here. Cause like you said, there is no place like it. :)
I loved learning more about you! What a great post:)
I threw a huge party when I turned thirty. I LOVE being in my thirties. You are one of FEW people I know who don't freak out about turning 30.
Christina
www.passionpursenality.com
love this idea! I will definitely be doing a detailed list in the future but this will have to do for now:
http://prairiehen.blogspot.com/2011/03/past-and-present.html
"I'm really good at asking questions and love hearing people's stories."
this is totally me! sometimes i feel like i ask to many questions!
Thanks for the meme. I blogged mine here: http://pixelsnglue.com/?p=2133
I also wanted to say I really identified with what you said about working to make lasting friendships. This is something I definitely struggle with.
Fun Post! I love that you shared your driver's test story. A true sign that you are comfortable being you. :)
I was the girl who got stung by a jellyfish on a high school mission trip.
And I can sympathize with having trouble initiating relationships. I have to remind myself to not get too comfortable in my loner-ness.
what a fun post..i think i might do one in the next few days.
erin
www.cleverseed.blogspot.com
i LOVE hearing more about you. really really love it! i'm also kind of not great at nurturing/starting girl friendships. but i'm working on it. and i also need to renew my license .... like, now. so thanks for the reminder. anyway, loved this post.
I loved what you said about always having to work hard in your friendship with girls. I am the same way! I believe myself to be a good friend but for some reason the girls I've met in the past are terrible friends, making me have to work all the harder to be friends with them. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who struggles with deep friendships.
-Taylor
Wow! It's so comforting to know I'm not the only one that has a difficult time forging friendships with girls, or initiating coffee dates and such. One big difference is that I was terrified of turning 30, but now that I'm nearing 32 I've realized that my 30th birthday was actually one of my best to date (it's even part of the reason behind my blog, in a way).
I'm totally restarting my blogging experience, and while I'm focusing on crafting/creativity, I think you've inspired me to do my own Past & Present.
Thank you for sharing personal things. It's nice to learn a little more about the amazing people behind some of my favorite blogs.
I am so glad to know that so many of your readers struggle with girl friendships. I long for close friends and always reveal too much about myself and then the friendship lags. Almost always, anyway. I wish you all lived in the deep south.
love this post! I am hoping to share my past and present soon, thanks for the inspiration. i'll be sure to come back wtih the link. :)
Thanks for sharing this, Rachel. I think lots of women feel the exact same way about friendship. We need it, we want it, but we aren't quite sure how to make it happen. I often feel awkward and unsure as to how to "make friends" with other adult women. But it is so worth it, so I push through the weirdness.
Thanks for being real and helping me see that I'm not so different after all.
P.S. I think my mom actually did own that shirt!
1. come back to california!
2. i think i would fail the dmv test too.
3. i loved roller skating. i can't wait to take the girls one day.
4. i think i am bad at doing things to strengthen friendships too. i think it is because i am such a homebody and have hobbies (crafting/blogging) that i tend to not invest in as much time in certain friends. plus, with three girls i really rarely go out to do the surprise visit.
loved this post!
Excuse me, but where is the bit in your past about living in England?!!!!
Love you, Sylv x
i think you are lovely! your honesty and perspective are always so refreshing... especially on motherhood :) where in ca are you from?!
I feel ya on many of these points. I love me some heels, nail polish, and shopping, but I don't feel like a girly girly. My spirit is much more tomboy and I have a really hard time relating to girls. I have a hard time letting my guard down and I think that my personality is just a little more dominant and masculine than most girls. I'm not very chatty, unless I really trust someone. But when I do trust someone, I am SO loyal. I'm bad at investing in people, but my love and loyalty are always there.
i love that you did a donut on the soccer field. that is AWESOME! I would sneak out if my house at night to go hang with the boys and pull pranks on our friends, like pouring milk all over their lawn so it killed the grass and made the lawn stink. God, so bratty of me! I was an angsty little lady. Well...that hasn't really changed haha.
xo Moorea
I really liked this post. I too struggle with initiating things that are necessary to strong friendships..It's nice to know it's not just me.
Look forward to your 30's! I turned 30 last October and was dreading it but actually it's great. You feel like yup, I'm a grown woman now, even though you may already be in 'grown up' situations, like marriage/long term relationship, children, home owner etc. Also, I don't know about others but I've gained more confidence. I'm currently reassessing my job and hours that I work so that it works for my husband and I, not what I feel I'm 'expected' to do. You'll love it, I promise! Great blog btw.x
Sylvia!!!
We miss you guys!!!
p.s. England will always stand as one of the most formative years of my life. Always. ;) Thanks for being such a big part of it!
Rubyellen,
I think we need to road trip to see you guys. Yes, I think so!
love these sorts of posts!
very fun to read & think about what i might write...
ps
i 'forgot' to renew my license
for about 2 years (uh, good thing i never got pulled over during that time :)
& had to retake the driving test, too...
it was so stressful!
you'll get it next time
& brett is right: interestingness is good :)
I have a crazy difficult time finding female friends and my closest friends I have now happen to be female and I'd take a bullet for each of them, however, I met them on the internet and live in 3 completely different states! Thank goodness for the internet! And your shirt, it screams ME and I'd wear it til it was bare!
I'll be 30 in May, I lived for roller skates, and let's not even talk about my hair. Thanks for the past and present - this made me smile - I'll do a p&p sometime this week :)
Every time I'm at RV and talking to Elsie she always mentions that you are really good at asking questions! :)
xo Haley
All I have to say right now is: Yes, California is one of the greatest places. I lived in a small mountain town in the Sierra Nevadas and it was FANTASTIC. Art nights, coffee dates, and story telling with some of the best people I have ever known. I hope to one day roam those lands again.
Thanks for sharing a little bit of you! It's not always the easiest thing to do.
I can relate to the struggle with keeping/building relationships with girls - it's been twice as hard to motivate myself to be a better friend after getting married. I guess you just get comfortable with the one person (you're married to) so it's like, why bother? But I think friendships are important... just tricky.
I LOVE your hair.
I hear 30s are good ;) It's reassuring. I still have 5 years to go before I reach 30 but I've freaked out enough about turning 25 to last me awhile :O
Thanks for sharing! ~.~
I don't know if you will get to read this (68 comments...yikes!) but I think it is the same for most women. Once you get married, friendships do take a back seat and then come the children and the friends you did have are no longer on the same wavelength. It is sad but a part of life.
I too dream of very deep friendships, kind of like Anne and Diana from Anne of Green Gables, do they even exist? I don't know...
Only 30? still a bub!
That's it, I've been lurking around here for ages but now I am a follower! It's so nice to learn a bit more about what people are actually like :)
Rachel,
Thank you for showing us a glimpse of your world. I have been reading your blog since I took the Home Ec class.
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