i've been working on my life story, and have been reflecting on my tender years. i was very opinionated, even as a little rascal, and quickly learned what i loved and what i hated. i was a passionate kid, and rarely fell between the two, merely 'liking' or tolerating something.

Hates:
-in 1976, I had to wear The Pumpkin Outfit for Halloween. It had been Dad's when he was a little boy, and it was horribly uncomfortable. To make it poof out, handfuls of newspapers had to be stuffed into the round part of the pumpkin. The worse bit was the hat—an adorable stem that tied behind the ears. It made movement uncomfortable, and I was grateful when I grew out of that little-but-cute stage and I didn't have to wear that terrible little costume.

-getting my hair curled. Every Sunday, in fact. Mom loved dressing me up in frumpy ruffly dresses, and I often felt like an overstuffed doll. She'd curl my hair and with each curl, she'd count aloud to twenty. The good part was I learned to count at a young age. The hating part: having to wait for each precious bit of hair to be curled.

-falling asleep with gum in my hair. Mom had to cut it out. Sadly, I learned the power of the scissors from this experience, and it wasn't long before I was trying to cut my own bangs (and making a terrible mess of it).

-sparklers. They were loud, scary, and they burned you when you were careless. 'Nuff said.

Loves:
-in 1977 I was finally big enough to wear the gorgeous Korean outfit Dad had gotten me. It was made of a bright silk and was so beautiful, I felt like a princess wearing it. Also well-loved was the Korean pendant Dad had given me. It had the Korean characters for Angel on it, and I treasured it until it got lost in a move.

-my Big Bird. I loved Sesame Street. In a few years we'd only have cassette tapes of Sesame Street to listen to, but when I was little, I loved watching the show. Oscar had always been my favourite, but I loved my big stuffed bird, and dragged that thing with me everywhere.

-the quiet book. Mom or Granny A had made it, and it had neat things inside. Clothespins for hanging tiny clothes, a tiny road to drive a tiny car on... each page brought endless fun, and entertainment for those long Sacrament meetings.

-Muskrat Love. My favourite song, I'd sing along to this loudly whenever it came on the radio. Thank goodness we were living in the 70s then, as it came on the radio often. The car we owned was a little red or white one, and I loved kicking my feet up on the front seat and singing my heart out. Mom always had the radio station tuned to the oldies station, and I learned them quickly. I still have a fondness for them.

-teeny little dolls. Granny A always made paper dolls for me, and Mom gave me these little plastic dolls with snap on clothes. They were adorable, and the tinier the better.

-bike-riding. Mom and Dad would take us riding all the time: they each had a bike seat for us on the backs. I preferred Mom's pink one to Dad's white one, as the pink was lower to the ground and more comfortable. Dad's seemed to be mounted twenty feet up and I was nervous about falling on it. Odds were always in Brandon's favour, as I was usually relegated to Dad's.

Dad was always keen to teach us lessons on life. I learned the value of money from an early age. He would give me a dime, then offer to trade pennies for them. I'd comply at first because the pennies were bigger, but after finding they bought less, learned to stick with the dimes. This little “allowance” ended shortly after I caught on to Dad's tricks.