Happy Birthday to Valerie and Vandy

Today is Valerie Meyers' and Vandy Saylors' birthdays! Please wish them a happy one and share an old story or two if you can!

Happy Birthday, Jana!

Today is Jana's birthday! Unless I'm way off track, it should be her 36th, as well. She has yet to post her update, so in theory she's not supposed to be getting a birthday wish, but hey...it's a Tuesday, so why not be nice. Jana, I hope you have a great birthday, and when you get a chance, post an update for us so we all know how you're doing!

Happy Birthday, Kelly!

Sorry for not posting this on time...I accidentally saved it as a draft instead of publishing it. Friday (March 4th) was Kelly Glenn's birthday. As usual, it was her 36th birthday. Since I posted that "Madonna" picture of her a few months ago, I won't further humiliate her by posting additional oldies...but please know that I do indeed have them and will certainly keep them at the ready should they need to be exposed. Hope you had a great birthday!

And for those of you that would like to take the initiative next time, there is a CHS '89 calendar on this blog that has everyone's birthdays on it. I don't have to be the only one doing this!!!

Happy Birthday, Brett!

Again, I still need to get home and hop on the scanner and scan in some great pics...and I will do so TONIGHT...I promise. Anyway, I wanted to post this early this time...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRETT! Today is the big day, and I'm sure you'll celebrate in style. 36 years is a long time, my friend.

One memory I'll share with everyone is from back when we were in the 8th grade. Brett and I had Spanish I together, and boy did we have fun. Not only did we have the hots for Mrs. Rushing, but we cut-up in the class more than anyone. One day, we were in the midst of learning the Imperfect Indicative of -ar verbs: a, abas, aba, abamos, abais, aban. Brett and I kept repeating that over and over, and the more we did, the "funnier" we thought we were being, and thus the more we laughed. Next thing you know, both of us are rolling on the floor laughing, and we just couldn't stop. Mrs. Rushing finally had had enough, and she sent us down to Mr. Burress' office. We got down there, and waited in that little room across from the office. Then Mrs. Rushing came down and told him what we had done. He asked us each to come into his office, and Brett went first. Next thing I know, I hear three LOUD whacks, and Brett literally came running out of his office holding his butt. I nearly died. I wanted to laugh, as it was one heck of a funny sight, but the fact that I was next obviously kept me from laughing. I went in, and let me tell you...that man lit my *ss up!!! I must admit, however, that Brett and I continued to torture Mrs. Rushing. We enjoyed it so much, in fact, that we took not only Spanish II the following year, but also Spanich III in the 10th grade!!!

Happy Birthday, Todd!

That's right, yet another Warrior birthday. Ol' Todd turns the big 3-6 today. I'm not at home to scan any pictures, but did want to at least post a birthday wish to Todd. I know I've mentioned this before, but the one memory of Todd that stands out the most is one from back when we were in the 4th grade. Todd, Bobby, and I were sitting next to each other in Mrs. Vandiver's music room, waiting for try-outs for the Christmas play. Todd sneezed, and a small piece of ham came out of his nose!! I thought Bobby and I were going to die we were laughing so hard!! Glenn Krohn (as usual) saw it and immediately threw-up all over the place. I must, since that time, I've NEVER seen anyone sneeze anything out of his/her nose. Todd, you are a skilled man, to say the least.

Oh, and despite the fact that you STILL haven't posted your update on what you've been up to all these years, I decided that since you're such a nice guy, I'd go ahead and post this birthday wish.....hint, hint...!

Happy Birthday, Traci!!!

I'm late in posting this, so please forgive me. But it's still Wednesday, so I think I'm good to go. Anyway, today is Traci Haskett's birthday. Another Warrior bites the dust and turns 36! Traci, I hope you had a great day, and that you and your daughter (and hopefully your son) got to do something really special! Oh, and we can't forget about your three dogs, too. Hopefully ALL of you were able to find something to do as one big family!!

My wife is asleep right now, and the box that has the pictures in it is under the bed, so I won't be able to post any pictures of Traci right this minute. BUT...give me until tomorrow afternoon, and I'll post one or two that I have...

One memory of Traci that sticks in my mind is the fact that she lived next door to Stephen Brooks. I recall being over at Stephen's one day, and there were one or two others there. I could be wrong, but I seem to remember mooning her through Stephen's bedroom window. Odd memory, I know, but hey...you can't help what you remember. Traci, sorry you had to look at our butts...

I also seem to recall Traci having an Electra Woman and Dyna Girl lunchbox. Traci, is that accurate? I doubt many people will remember that show, but it was popular on Saturday mornings in the mid to late 70's. I could be wrong, but for some reason I remember Traci having that lunchbox.

And didn't you have a Dachshund dog? That's a stretch of a memory, but I seem to remember that, too.

Anyway, I'll try to add more tomorrow when I post your picture(s). I hope you had a happy birthday!!!

Happy Belated Birthday, Judy!

Sorry!! I was out of town and couldn't get to a computer, so that's why I'm late in doing this!! Judy I hope you had a spectacular 36th birthday! I'm sure you and Chris and the kids celebrated in style in Oxford!!

As usual, it's time to tell a few stories about ol' Judy. First of all, once we moved to our house on Hickory Road in 1975, Judy and I were neighbors for the next 12 years. There were a few things in particular that I remember about Judy's house. First of all, there was a persimmon tree in the front yard. Those persimmons were the perfect size to throw a considerable distance...in fact, my range on one of those suckers was exactly from the end of her driveway by the tree, to the other end of her driveway. That meant I could usually be found launching those things at Judy and Beth and Sassy and whoever else was there at the time. Lot's of fun, that's for sure. There was also a possum that would hang in one of the branches in that tree...pretty cool, if you ask me!

Judy also had the most awesome tree house at the end of her driveway. You'd crawl up a ladder through a trap door and then you were up in that tree house. Several of us (Bobby, Brett, Weston, Trey, Glenn, etc.) loved to get into dirt clod fights from that tree house. You'd stock up on the clods, and then when your buddies got close, you waged war on them. Lex Cloutier lived behind Judy, and he was always a target.

Judy's mom also made the best damn lemonade. They'd grow real mint under their porch and put it in the lemonade. Man that stuff was good!! Judy's dad also was an avid golfer, and he kept his clubs and old balls in the storage room in their garage. I was pretty sly and would go in there and steal his golf balls (not his good ones, and not too many...!) to hit around the yard. I'm sure he'd have torn into my rear end had he found out, but I don't think he ever did.

When we first moved into our house, I was out front riding my bike. As usual, I was showing-off in front of Judy and Beth Coleman, who were out in her front yard. I was weaving back and forth on the bike, when WHAM!...I lost control and went to far to one side and totally bit the street....literally. I face-planted right in front of them on the pavement, and broke both of my front teeth. I can still remember how badly that hurt!! But that's what I got for trying to show-off, I guess.

From my bathroom window, I could look down across the side yard and into Judy's window. I remember we'd signal each other with our lights, thinking we were all cool. Not sure what any of the signals meant...or perhaps I just don't recall...but it was fun, nonetheless.

And you can't talk about Judy without bringing up her cabin at Pickwick. It was over on Goat's Island, not far from Glenn's cabin. We spent many a summer day out there and man there were some great times out there. I remember Trey and Brett and I tried to take her canoe across the lake, and we got about half way across, and the damn thing sunk! We had to paddle that thing all the way back under water! I remember (how could I forget, rather...) walking in the water once time and I got a leech on my foot! Scared the hell out of me, and to this day I HATE walking on the bottom of a lake or pond without shoes on. I also remember, after high school, a bunch of us went out there and spent the night after the Blow Out. I passed out drunk on the couch, and I woke up to Brett and Chris playing darts...with potato chips and bean dip. Funny story, until you realize that I was their dart board. I had potato chips and dip stuck all over me. It was sick, but one of the funniest things that ever happened to me, now that I think about it.

Anyway, I've got many, many more...but I need to save a few for the days to come. Judy, I hope you had a great birthday, and I hope to see you soon!!!!

(Oh, and for those of you that are wondering....the first two pictures are from a canoe trip we all went on back in the summer of 1985. You can't see her, but that's Judy under the tent with Trey and Weston. We pulled the stakes out of her tent while she was in it! Ha! The last picture was taken when we were in the 8th grade...out at break in front of the band hall. What a blast from the past, huh?!

Happy Birthday, Kathy!

I know this is rather late today to be announcing this, but better late than never! Today is Kathy Hale's birthday, so everyone chime in and wish her a happy 36th! I hope you had a great day!

Kathy is one of those classmates that, as far as I can remember, was in our class from the very beginning. I remember her going all the way back to pretty much the 1st grade. If there's one thing I remember about her, she was QUIET! She didn't have much to say, but she was as nice as she could be. Well, let me rephrase that...she didn't have much to say to ME...so I shouldn't say she didn't talk much in general. Just because she didn't have much to say to me didn't mean she didn't ham it up with other people, right?! But seriously...she was always really nice, really sweet, and generally quiet. I remember she was really involved in the band, too, as well as her younger sister. Seems she was good friends with Christy Lancaster, Jeffrey Droke, and a few others...but I could be wrong.

Anyway, the cool thing is that I really got to know Kathy, believe it or not, at our 10 Year reunion. I sat down at a table with her and a few others, and we talked and talked...and it made me wish we'd done that so many years before! I think she even drug me out on the dance floor for a dance or two, before Poo Poo took over and grinded me into the floor! Not sure how many of you remember that, but she did! She came out of nowhere and scared the hell out of me!

Anyway, Kathy and I stayed in touch via email after that, but we eventually lost touch. So...Kathy...you owe us an update, so let's have it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Ashley, continued...

So I told you I'd continue once I got to my hotel, so here goes:

Man, Ashley, where do I begin? I know we had a few rooms/teachers together before the 4th grade, but it wasn't until then that I figured out you were the one I needed to have the crush on. I remember breaking up with Melinda at Skateland by telling her I had a knee disease and she needed to move on or she'd get hurt when I died of the disease. What a load of crap!! Either way, I guess it worked, as Melinda dumped me. At that time, I just skated over to you and asked you "to go with me." And you did. We lasted until that summer, when you broke up with me while I was on the diving board at the swimming pool. I remember hearing an Air Supply song on the radio when I got the news. We got home from the pool, and my sister, Davis, called you to ask why you broke up with me. Like it mattered?! I also remember earlier that year taking you to the "Sock Hop" at the YMCA. It was some kind of dance. I gave you a necklace/soap combo as a Christmas present that year...it was a lavender piece of soap in the shape of a butterfly, and it had a matching necklace with it. I remember lavender was your favorite color. Not too sure about the soap/necklace combo, but I guess it was pretty cool back in 1980!

I remember riding my bike up to your house and giving you love notes. We'd ride bikes in your backyard and hang out in your mom's dance studio listening to Earth, Wind & Fire. I remember one day we heard that you had to "do it" to have kids, and since we were planning on getting married, we were really grossed out and worried about that. So you went inside and asked your mother if that was true, and of course she said it wasn't. We were so RELIEVED!!! HA!!

I also remember you sucked your thumb forever! Seems like you were doing that up until the time we were in 6th or 7th grade. Please tell me you don't do that anymore?!

I can also remember how protective your older brother, Jack, was of you. If any of us cussed in front of you or did anything that he felt was inappropriate, he always make us apologize to you. We were always scared of having Jack after us....you were lucky, as he probably saved you from years of torture from us!!

Man, we had so much fun at your house. I remember Jack was a huge KISS fan and had posters and stuff all over his room. I think he even had a pair of wooden KISS boots!!

I remember getting into bottle rocket wars with Michael Tull, and shooting them at him in his yard from your back balcony. We'd do the same thing with those persimmons...I think he hit Brett in the face with one during one of those wars! Michael Tull had one hell of an arm on him, that's for sure!

So many memories at "The Hill" in your side yard. That was the place for all of the older kids to hang out, and we were always scared to ride our bikes by there when they were out there. Les Archie, John Haynes, Trey Albright....all of them would hang out there and harass us if we got close. It seems like such a big hill back then, and I drive by now and it's barely even noticeable!!!

Anyway, I hope you had a great birthday, and I hope some other people can share some more Ashley stories. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Oh, and I'll post some funny pictures of you when I get back into town...I'm away from my ol' box of goodies and my scanner!!!

Happy Birthday, Tess!

I was tempted not to post this, since Tess has basically ignored my begging and pleading for her to join the blog. But, I figured I'd take the high road and post a birthday wish to her anyway. Maybe someday she'll follow through and join, and then she can see that we all remembered her big day.
I've known Tess since we were in the 1st grade together in Mrs. Dixon's room. From that point forward, we had several teachers together (Mrs. Butler) and lots of classes together in the later years. The one thing I remember about Tess was that she was ALWAYS in the mood to laugh. She had an infectious laugh, and it always seemed she was looking for any reason to let it out.
She was an only child, so I think that was a reason we'd always find her mom taking part in school parties and such. Now that I look back on it, Tess and her mother were two peas in a pod. They had the same laugh, the same mannerisms, and were both just always in a happy mood. I remember in the 1st grade, we had a Halloween party and some of our mothers showed up in costumes. My mother showed up in a white sheet with her face painted like a skeleton, and she never told me she was going to do it, so when she showed up, I had no idea it was my own mother. Mrs. Gurley showed up as a witch...with the hat, the broom, the black dress, and even this crusty make-up on her nose to make it look like a real evil witch nose!
The last time I saw Tess, was when a bunch of us gathered at Margil's over the holidays I think back in 1997. She was just the same....hyper, happy, and full of life. Tess, I hope one of these days, you slow down long enough to join the blog and share some memories and good times with us. You a part of so many of them, so I'm sure I can say that most of us look forward to catching up with you and finding out what you've been up to all these years. I heard that you're back in Corinth and live a few doors down from my grandmother, in fact. Regardless, I hope you had a great birthday, and I hope to see you on the blog soon!

Happy Birthday, Jimmy!

Yes, that's right. Jimmy turned 36 today, unless I'm off on my birthday calendar. Jimmy, I'm not exactly sure what you did today/tonight for your birthday, but my guess is it had something to do with work. Dude, you've been "working" since the day I met you. Didn't matter who, what, where or when, you always had some kind of business or "operation" going. So whatever it was that you chose to do on your special day today, I hope you had fun.

Man, I remember hanging out at George Mercier's house with George and Weston, and we'd always pay you a visit to see what new and exciting toy or gadget you had. I remember you having a pool and a trampoline in your back yard. Seems like there was also a circus tent with elephants, tigers, etc. Just kidding....but seriously....the one thing I remember about you is that we never knew what new cool "thing" you were going to have. I seem to remember George bugging the hell out of you, but that doesn't surprise me. We'd be over at his house, playing commando or something down in his gigantic basement, and then to take a break we'd go over to your house. You never knew what George was gonna do once we got over there. But you seemed to survive it all.

I also remember your dad being pretty involved in Boy Scouts...I can't remember if you were or not...or what troop that was. And I remember you basically running the entire show for our Follies. You had the headset and stuff on, which was almost unheard of back then. But I'm sure without you, Follies would have imploded for sure.

Hope you had a great birthday. If you are the Mayor of Corinth, what exactly do you do on your birthday? Please do tell....

Happy Birthday, Kim!

Kim, today is your day, too! I hope you had a great day turning the big 3-6!! I bet you had no idea I'd still have this picture. I think it was from 5th grade, but I could be wrong. Can you remember? Anyway, in keeping with tradition, you know I have to tell a story or two about you...

One of the main things I remember about Kim is that she was a great basketball player and her face would turn R-E-D when she was out on the court. Regardless, you were one heck of a ball player. I also remember that Terry Harmon had the BIGGEST crush on you. I mean, he was probably more obsessed with you than I was with Beth. A bunch of us always hung out at the YMCA after school, and Terry would always reference you whenever he did anything! He'd shoot a 3-pointer, and say, "Uh, oh...Kimberly Ivy!!!" I mean the guy talked about you nonstop...and I don't think you ever gave him the time of day, either. Must have been some kind of conspiracy that you and Beth had against us.

I also remember that you didn't take CRAP off anyone! As much as some of us (me obviously included) harrassed the girls, we knew not to even think about messing with you. You were the one girl that would punch the hell out of one us, so as far as I can recall, we always maintained our composure around you. Am I wrong??

I hope you had a great day...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday, Beth!

Well, as you can imagine, today is Beth's birthday. Yep...she turned 36 today just like the rest of us. I thought I'd post a few pictures and tell a few stories about her, to help her celebrate such a special day. .I've known Beth since I was old enough to walk. I remember being in some type of Christmas program at the Methodist Church when we were really little, and we had to recite the 12 days of Christmas...each one of us had to remember the saying for a specific day, and when it was our turn, we'd have to step forward and say it. I was the 10th day, so I had to say "Ten Lords a-leaping." Beth had the 1st day, which means she had to step forward every time and say "And a Partridge in a pear tree." EXCEPT...little Beth had a speech problem when we were little, so when she said it, it sounded like this, "And a Pa-twidge in a peah twee." Needless to say, we had fun with that one.
When we were in the 8th grade, I had the biggest crush on Beth. I mean I was in L-O-V-E with her. And she wouldn't give me the time of day. Well, we were friends...but she wouldn't and couldn't think of us in any other way. Truth be told, she had a huge crush on Ken Williams, and so she eventually started "going" with Ken. And I was devastated. Oh, well. This is Beth's 8th grade picture, and I thought I'd show you what I wrote on the back of it...to prove how obsessed I was with Miss Coleman.


I have many, many more great pictures, but I want to save them for later. Regardless, Beth I hope you had a great birthday.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday Elaine!!

Well, since Elaine has yet to join the blog, she more than likely won't know that WE actually remembered her birthday, right?? Yep...today ol' Elaine turned the big 3-6. I skimmed through my huge box of pictures and what not, but I wasn't able to find much. I know I have more pictures in there somewhere, but for now these will have to do....sorry Elaine....or am I?!

For those of you that have good memories (like me..ha!), you'll recall that some of us went to Mrs. Mathis' Kindergarten. It was the year before we entered the 1st grade. Anyway, here is the newspaper clipping from our "graduation" from Mrs. Mathis' class in 1977. Elaine is on the first row, 2nd from the right.


The next year was obviously 1st grade. I had Mrs. Dixon, as did Elaine. For our Christmas play that year, our theme was to incorporate a lot of the nursery rhymes into our Christmas play. I was Santa and Elaine was Little Bo Peep:


And here is the full class photo from the Christmas play. I don't mean to take away from Elaine's big day by pointing everyone to this particular photo, but you have to admit it's pretty funny and one heck of a blast from the past. How many people can you name from this photo??


ANYWAY....Elaine, I hope you had a great birthday today, and one of these days when you join the blog, you'll hopefully get a kick out of this post!!!

Happy Birthday, Sassy!!

Well, today is Sassy's birthday, so in keeping with tradition, I guess it's time to reminisce. Sassy, it seems like yesterday when I could walk up to your house on Pine Road and we'd jump on your trampoline or play Atari in your den. I remember when we were really young, I pretended to pour Comet into a glass of milk, drank it, and then fell on the floor like I was dead. It scared the hell out of you AND your mother, and y'all drove me home completely FRANTIC! I also remember you singing all the time and doing these TV commercials for us when we were over at your house. I also seem to recall a picture of you when you were really little, and you were wearing your dad's jockstrap as a bra....hilarious! I remember when you and Beth and Judy, in the fifth grade, put a blonde wig on you and took polaroid pictures and put one in my mailbox. You told me that one of your cousins was moving to town and that she was in love with me. I got all excited, and then took a second look at the picture, and I figured out it was you. Bummer!! I also remember your hair and make-up phase...we'd all be out at Pickwick and you'd get in the water but would NOT get your face or hair wet. Used to drive us NUTS!! And who could forget you driving down Fillmore Street (after having a "little" to drink, and basically playing bouncing off every car for about 4 or 5 blocks.

Anyway, Sassy, I know you're a long way away physically, but in spirit and thought you're right here! I hate that I've missed you the last few times you've been in the US, but I promise I'll see you on your next trip here. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday, David!!!

Not sure how many people know this, but today is David Dixon's 36th birthday! As usual, I must briefly reminisce. Dave, seems just like yesterday when you switched to East Corinth from out thar in the county….you showed up when we were all in the 4th grade and you were grouped in the bunch that got Mrs. Moss….as I recall she, for whatever reasons, got the group of “new” kids that had transferred from the county. Or something like that. Also seems like yesterday when you spent the night with me in the 7th grade and we walked over to Stacey Carson’s house. You asked her to “go” with you, smooched her in the driveway for what seemed like hours (yes, I had to stand at the edge of the driveway, with my hands in my pockets, feeling like the idiot I was..and still am…). When y’all were done tickling each others tonsils, you “broke-up” with Stacey, and we went back to my house. What a stud David was back in the day, huh???

Anyway, I hope all is well, and as per standard, everyone wish ol’ David a happy one!!!