The Blogathoners have been asked to post their earliest memory as part of a contest.
My earliest memory is quite vivid. And I’m convinced it’s vivid because I actually remember it, not because the story has been told so many times.
When I was three I lived in England with my family. Our next door neighbors had two kids who were the same ages as my sister and I (actually, we staggered – my sis the oldest, then Kelly, then me, then Jeff). We were all best friends and basically did everything together.
One day Jeffie and I were playing around this little pondlike fountain near our houses. It was still water – not actually a fountain (that I recall). It was raised with builtin seating all around it, and Jeffie and I were running in circles on the benches around the fountain. I came around the corner and my foot missed and I fell right in.
Well, at three or four years old I didn’t swim (I had tubes in my ears and wasn’t allowed to go in water), so two or three year old Jeffie jumped in and pulled me out. Now, I’m sure that fountain wasn’t that deep (after all, the cement benches were at most 2 ft high), but to this day I tell the story of when Jeff saved me from drowning.
I also remember sitting next to the tennis courts playing with my doll while my parents played tennis with another couple, also in England. Another great memory is my parents throwing a big party before some Navy ball, and since we lived right down the block from the place where the ball was being held, the couples all walked down the middle of the street to go to the ball. Our housekeeper, Flossie, let Jen, Kelly, Jeff and me stay up and watch them from the upstairs window.
We lived in England from (I think) 1971-1974, which would have put me at 2-5 years old for all of those memories.
You were 4 and Jeff was 3 when you fell into the pond. We lived in England from 1972-1975 – so you were close on the dates.
I do not remember Mom and Dad playing tennis.
I do remember the ball and thinking it was all very fitting since we lived in England and that’s what they did in England.
I remember climbing out of my crib when I was a youngin’. I was sick, my mom had the Vaporizer going and we had a neighbor over at the time hanging out with my brother and sister. I walked out of my dark room to the living room. That’s all I remember about it. I know, very exciting. It’s possible I was as old as two. Not sure when we got rid of that crib.
I also remember being scared of the huge industrial waxer they used in one of the local supermarkets. It made a loud noise and whirled around scarily. I was probably four or so.
At that same age I remember walking with my mom to another supermarket and cutting through a park to beat her to the end of the block. When I got there she wasn’t in sight. I bawled like a baby. I wasn’t much older than a baby. Turns out she was hiding on me. She never did that again.
To be exact, we were in England from March ’73- Sept. ’75.
We always believed that Jeff saved you that day. We did try our hand at tennis (I had played a lot as a teenager) but it was short-lived ’cause Dad left to go out to sea. I remember seeing you all hanging out the window watching us walk down the street to the ball. Fun times.