Sunday Social [childhood]

It's been a long time, but when I saw these questions, I just couldn't say no! It gets a little picture heavy in the middle..whoa flashbacks!

1. What was your first car?
My first car was a 1999 champagne Toyota Camry. When I was a baby, my parents got a silver Camry a week after they got me. Ten years later, my mom got the champagne one, and I cried when we sold the old car. We moved from Alaska to Texas and brought the car on the barge. When I finally got my driver's license, my mom got a new car, and the Camry was passed down to me. I drove that car until the summer before Leo and I got married. Guess what I drive now? Another Camry. I'm a creature of habit.

2. Who was your favorite childhood teacher?
This is probably the hardest question for me because all of my teachers were amazing. My mom taught at my elementary school, so she got me in all the best classes. However, if I had to choose, I would pick my 2nd and 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Kajikawa. She and my mom were really close friends. In fact, for my first flight ever (at 2 months old), my family and the Kajikawas flew to Seattle for the weekend. She was from Hawaii, but her parents were from Japan. We learned a lot of Japanese from her in 2nd grade, but I don't remember any of it. She and her husband hosted New Years parties every year with traditional Japanese food and she even taught people how to make sushi! She passed away a few years ago, and my mom and I still miss her dearly.

please excuse the skort

3. Were you involved in any sports/extracurricular activities? Share pictures if you can!
Growing up, I took ballet and played soccer from ages 4-13. I even started pointe when I turned 11.

My first year to dance in the Nutcracker, mullet and all.

When we moved to Texas, I stopped both of those and joined the swim team in 8th grade. I was on the varsity swim team all through high school, but that's just because we didn't have a JV team. I was an ok swimmer, but not super competitive, so I always swam regionals but never state.

The four senior girls

I was also really involved in choir 7th-12th grade. High school choir memories are some of my favorite. We had a great choir, coming in 2nd every year in state (only because a Houston magnet school had a much larger group which equals double the amount of possible points). I was in every group imaginable junior year- 2 full choir ensembles, 2 show choirs, 2 small sacred ensembles, and I did a solo. That equaled 15 songs to perform on state competition day. Senior year, I was only in one show and sacred group because we had a special senior girls ensemble, but that was still 13 songs in one day! What was I thinking?

Normal routine on show choir practice days. Cameron's going to kill me for this one day.

Right before senior show regionals

All of the seniors in choir at graduation. I'm second to the left.

4. What was your favorite birthday party?
This wasn't really a birthday party, but my 19th birthday was probably my favorite celebration. It was a four-parter. Part one: driving to Dallas with my best friend for shopping and exploring downtown. Part two: having 3 of my other really good friends drive to Dallas the next day for the John Mayer Continuum concert- best show I've ever been to! Part three: hanging out at Hurricane Harbor all day with more friends. A few days later we had a dinner/party with all of my friends. My past birthday came close to this one, but that one still reigns supreme! Are you ready for pictures? Good

Walking around Dallas

North Park

Incredibly excited for John Mayer

How can you not love that?

Half of my high school friends for my birthday dinner. LOVE every single one of them.

5. Who was your teen celebrity crush?
Where do I start? I've been in love with John Mayer since 7th grade and his first awful music video (Your Body Is a Wonderland, anyone?). I also often drooled over Oliver James (What A Girl Wants w/ Amanda Bynes) and most of the guys in the Mary Kate and Ashley movies. Why did teen starlets always get the cute guys?

6. What show/movie did your parents not allow you to watch?
Let's start this off by saying that my parents were incredible strict on what I watched growing up. I wasn't allowed to watch most PG movies until I was 13, and the only movie I saw (to my parent's knowledge) that was PG-13 before turning 18 and giving my mom the "I'm a grownup, I don't want to lie to you, I watch PG-13 movies" speech was Passion of the Christ. Super strict, right? The movie that sticks out most, however, is Hook. My cousin Robbie gave it to me as a present when I turned 10 and I wasn't allowed to watch it for 3 years. Ahhh, memories.