I found these in an envelope today while cleaning out the garage. It appears that even though I am trying not to think of school starting up again for my oldest and for my husband, I can’t escape it. I could not escape it then either. Look at my expression in this pre-school shot, not exactly overflowing with excitement.

I was going to offer a prize to the first person who picked me out of the class photo but then I remembered that I haven’t sent the prize still from the whole WonkaTonkaMoose thing so I better not. I WILL think you are super cool though and that’s kinda like a prize, right? I don’t remember much from this year (or any of them, really) but I do recall thinking the boy third row up, far right was cute. Also from this year, that I don’t remember but my father likes to tell the story, is how I almost got suspended but it was the last day of school so they just sent me home early. My friend and I were practicing hurdles around the track at recess and two boys were teasing us and throwing rocks so I told my friend to chase one guy and I’d get the other. I tackled my guy and shoved his face into the gravel, giving him a bloody nose. My dad is very proud of this story.

This is me, so proud with my new lunch box, on the first day of pre-school in Thailand. It is not surprising so many people collect these metal lunchboxes. When we were young they evoked such a sense of freedom, marching off with lunchbox in hand to spend the day with ‘others’ and yet in that very lunch box were goodies packed by our moms and/or dads to let us know they were still taking care of us even while we were away at school. I should start buying up Bentos now to tuck away and then sell them as vintage on Etsy in twenty years !

I wish I had all three of these dresses today. To keep, not to sell.

It has been a good summer and I am feeling sad for the transition to fall. Even these goofy photos didn’t cheer me up that much!