...a blast from the past

I recently scanned some more old pictures and came across this one from the spring of '91 or '92.

I spent our entire tax refund on wheels for us that year. Nate and I got new bikes and Katie got the trailer. Katie was at an age that she could have learned to ride a bike, but she wouldn't have been able to keep up with Nate and me, and she had long outgrown the baby seat on the back of my old bike. Such good memories of loading up the back of the trailer with a picnic and heading out for several hours of riding. Katie took along the dog, her baby dolls, snacks, and a blanket. It was a sad day when she was too long-legged to sit in it comfortably any more. Over the years coworkers have asked to buy the trailer from me, but I selfishly hung on to it. When Arlene became a grandma I loaned it to her for our sweet Jadyn, and when she's outgrown it it will come back to me for my (future) grandkids.

Jadyn, summer '09, enjoying a nap just like Katie used to do!

...a pizza story

My son Naterecently created something on Face Book that made me smile, but really didn't make much sense. It involved friends, a very cheesie nacho, and silliness. When I asked him about it on the phone he said, "Mom, it was like the tiny pizza." Enough said. I totally understood the silliness behind his post without having to hear all the details. I hope everyone has a "tiny pizza" story. This is ours:

Several years ago when Nate was in middle school and Katie was in 5th grade our budget was pretty tight. One Friday night towards the end of the month we wanted something other than macaroni and cheese. It was Friday night, after all. So we gathered up all the coupons for free food we had laying around and headed to town. (For some reason Katie elected to stay home and wait for us to return with the goods, so unfortunately, she doesn't share our "tiny pizza" story.) We had a coupon for a burger from one joint, fries from another, and the prize, a free pizza from the local take-and-bake. So we made our rounds, gathering up our feast, and finally made it to the pizza joint. The two of us went in, placed our order, handed over the coupon, then sat down to wait. And wait. And wait. Finally, after what seemed like an incredibly long time our name was called. We walked up to the counter...and were handed the tiniest pizza we had ever seen. We looked at the pizza, looked at each other, and barely got out the door before we were doubled over with laughter. There we were, two large people, sitting and waiting forever for a pizza that wouldn't even feed a three year old. We laughed so hard on the way home that I could barely drive. I remember Nate asking me at one point if I needed to pull over. Of course we tried to explain the situation to Katie when we got home, but for some things...you just have to be there. Even now, all these years later, the "tiny pizza" is my go-to memory when I need a good laugh. It hasn't failed me yet.