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Friday, June 1, 2012

A Look Back:1984

Writing this post makes me feel ancient, to be honest.
You wanna know my age in 1984, do ya?
While you were the sweet, innocent age of 6 months old,
I was embracing life with a red Michael Jackson wanna be jacket,
had my sleeves rolled to my elbows,
my collar up,
and secretly testing out cuss words on the playground.
Yes, that is a very specific memory I have,
jacket: red. sleeves: rolled. collar: up. 
cuss words: who me? never!! absolutely.
Don't worry Mom. It was short lived. It only lasted the day.
The coolness of it wore off quickly.
I was eight. My attention span was still short.
I'm pretty technical about numbers, dates, all that stuff.
So when I see shirts like this, I think to myself:
"Wait a second, if you were MADE in the 80's,
You probably don't even remember Rainbow Brite.'
I, on the other hand, do. Who forgets their favorite Rainbow Brite coloring book?

I would love to tell you, that in 1984, or the 80's in general my favorite music included 
Duran Duran or Cyndi Lauper, 
that my favorite movies involved: Molly Ringwald or Anthony Michael Hall, 
because they are certainly my faves these days...
But 1983 to 1986 was more of a collaboration of 
awesome animal documentaries,
contemporary christian rock and roll, 
everything disgusting about Garbage Pail Kids...
and I don't know about you, 
but the Get Along Gang pretty much rocked my world.
We didn't have cable, and we lived in a small town, so pretty much 
if you didn't have cable, you didn't have television.
Alrighty then, Disney True Life Adventures, it is!
Which is cool, because this covers both
my favorite TV show AND my favorite movie.

(The Get Along Gang was watched at other people house's, 
plus I had the stuffed animal moose, Montgomery)
Petra (an old christian rock band, in case you have no idea what a "Petra" is),
was my first concert ever. 
The first time I got a major crush. ON the keyboardist.
I definitely cried when we left that concert. 
We were stationed in the UP of Michigan.
I say stationed because my daddy is a preacher.
At that point in my life, our summers were spent
 living in a bus turned trailer home.
 as he took his family with him on the road to travel from town to town,
preaching in a Gospel tent.
I know you must be thinking, what an odd life...
but I didn't know the difference.
For me, it was normal. I actually liked it.
Until the morning I woke up with a huge hole in my blanket, 
because I dropped it from my top bunk onto the space heater.
Oooops.  Or better, yet, Yikes. That wouldn't have been good. 
So, not only does that cover where I lived, but also my favorite vacation.


I spent my indoor time reading books like The Babysitters Club,
Sweet Valley High...(oh wait, maybe those came a year or two later...)
BUT of course JUDY BLUME books!
Best outdoor time ever!!! Building snow furniture, snow forts, snow cities...
all out of ...er....snow.
(I didnt have a snow pic with me, so I compromised with the pic you see below.
You get the idea)
And I spent my nights, taking care of my baby brother, Jon...
He was "stationed" in my room, 
so I very vividly remember giving him bottles & holding him at night.


1984. Or 1983-1986 are some of my favorite memories.
It was at that time period that I discovered I loved art.
I remember I kept entering contests and winning.
Suckas!!!
Winning!
(that was said like Courtney from the Bachelor)

Did I forget to mention my cabbage patch kid, Shelly Love?
I remember the high demand for cabbage patch kids in those days.
I remember crying hearing a Cabbage Patch Factory had burned down.
Surely I wouldn't get one now.
But my parents are fighters.
They traveled 2 hours. Stood in the Christmas lines,
waiting for stores to open...
"You grab one for Jenny, I'll grab one for Julie."
And they did it! Got one for me and my sister!!
Thanks everyone, for taking this little journey back in time with me...
and thanks to the gals who hosted this Link Up...
Click Below to Follow THEIR Journey..
and link up too!!


24 comments:

Kim said...

Love this post! That took me back to the good 'ol days! When life was much simpler...

Unpublished Life said...

Hahaha, I love this post ... I was only born at the end of '85 BUT ... I lived in South Africa which was years behind the US in terms of popular culture, so I very vividly remember Rainbow Brite ... loved her.

Read Sweet Valley, Judy Blume etc ... good old days huh!

Wow, you sound like you had an interesting life growing up on the road ... great experiences and memories I'm sure!

http://unpublishedworksofme.blogspot.co.uk/

Sarah Fontenot said...

LOVE this post!! I'm a little older, having turned 12 in 1984. I totally forgot about Sweet Valley High books - YES - I totally read all of those!! Where in the UP in Michigan were you?? I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, right across the border from SSM, Michigan!

Anonymous said...

I loved the Get Along Gang! I had the Moose Doll and all the books! I'm from Michigan too and I know all about the snow!

AbsoluteMommy said...

All I'm going to say is you had me at "get along gang". I had Dottie.
Loved your post! Thanks for linking up!!

Girls Love Fried Pickles said...

I was 13 and all Madonna material girl out! And in love with every hair band imaginable.

Jenna@The Life of the Wife said...

Rainbow bright! YES! That takes me back...however..I was only a baby in 1984 LOL!!

TicoTina said...

I'm not sure what year I got my cabbage patch kid? I don't know how you guys remember all this stuff! that's really cool that you guys were traveling around like that as a family =)

Megan10e said...

Awesome post! My brother and I definitely had Garbage Pail kid cards!

Kelly said...

I LOVED baby sitters club I LOVED sweet valley high. I had both board games did you????? And SNOW forts were da bomb!!!!!! Isn't this so fun!!!!!!!!!??????? Haha! LOVE IT!

Sourire11 said...

Great post! I too was a huge HUGE fan of babysitters club.

Newly following you via GFC!

Great Scott said...

Obsessed with this post!!! From Rainbow Brite, Cabbage Patch dolls, Garbage Pail kids and Sweet Valley High - I think you and I were 80s soul mates! You mentioned Christian Rock but bypassed New Kids on the BLock. Tell me you knew them and we will be friends forever. They were certainly the love of my 5th grade life! And, what about jellies? The shoes AND the bracelets - oh yea! Or, the mile high hair with hairspray. I look back at photos of my think hair plastered up into a wave of Aquanet and just CRINGE in horror! hahaha! Oh, so fun to remember all this. Love, LOVE this post!

Jackie said...

This post is ridiculous. I am officially having a girl crush on you. Newest follower!!

I had a VERY similar red headed cabbage patch. Her name was Mitzi Marie. So awesome.

Judy Blume, BSC, Garbage Pail kids. Awesome, amazing, gross and awesome.

xoxo
jackie
perchedup.blogspot.com

Naomi said...

Oh. Man. Garbage Pail Kids?! Come to me. I've missed you.

Brooke @ Covered in Grace said...

Heck Yes! I had rainbow brite evvvvery thing!! What what!
I can still sing the intro song to her cartoon. hahaha

Clara Turbay said...

Your ideas are lovely tasteful and stylish

Renee C. said...

What an awesome post! It was like going for a walk down memory lane. I love that photo of you right at the top of the post. Sorry girlfriend, but that just SCREAMS 80's!! lol LOVE those boots! You did such a great job of putting together this post with the photos. Strangely, the cabbage patch kids made a bit of a comeback about 5 years ago. Somebody bought my son and daughter each one. I'm not even sure where they are right now. Oops! And big YES to the Judy Blume books. I remember reading Help I'm a Prisoner in the Library (which I have to say would have been awesome!) I must have read that book about 20 times.

Anyways, just wanted to say hello. I'm visiting from Mother Daughter Book Reviews and I'm following you through email and Twitter. Glad we connected and I look forward to your posts. Cheers, Renee

Maria said...

Julie, this post was a perfect blend of touching, fun and nostalgic.
I loved all your photos and memories. Ahh, I remember GarbagePail Kids...I used to collect those cards like a maniac. Lol
And cabbage patch dolls...my 3 are still in my Dad's Attic...I remember my favortie's name...Bertha Lilly...ha!

I love that your brought up Judy Blume...you brought back so many memories.

I hope you and your family have a sweet weekend!
Xoxox
Maria

Kristen @ Confessions of a GDS said...

These were the "good ol' days!" I want to travel back to my childhood- I swear life made more sense back then! Love this post! xo

Tamara Lynn said...

Rainbow Brite and Garbage Pail Kids?!?!?! I have officially fallen in love with this blog!!!

Cassie said...

I love this! So fun!! I guess I'm a tad older than the rest too since I was born in 1982, and lots of this stuff hung around all through the 80s. Thanks for the memories and the laughs!

Kasey Jean Williams said...

I love this 80's post!!! I am totally a kid from the 80's with several of the same loves that you had as a child!! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
http://momjeansandlovinit.blogspot.com/

Kasey

Anonymous said...

Aaah this was too much fun! Love! We had a Rainbow Brite birthday party with a rainbow cake and streamers and everything :) And those matching haircuts- so funny!!

Rachel said...

Oh I love how you put this together! I loved the get along gang, cabbage patch, rainbow brite, and Disney Sunday Movies. I turned 8 in the last weeks of 84..so I remember a lot the same as you. :)

 
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