Fourth Grade - pt 2 Life Lesson Don't Let It Go To Your Head

I was for sure interested in the same girl from third through fifth grade. Annie was really my first long term, for sure, no doubt about it, girlfriend. We were at each other's birthday parties, hanging out on recess, and flirting at lunch. However, there were a few distractions for me during fourth grade. One you might remember, Marti the other was Kandace. It was the third and fourth grade's turn to do the Christmas play at school. I was trying out for all the parts. I usually got stuck as a narrator, because I could memorize long parts. This time, I wanted a lead roll!

I tried out for Santa, but didn't get it. I was too short. I thought I did well, but it could be that I stuck the landing on Santa's Helper...Hughie, the fat elf. I remember standing on stage with all the other kids from the two grades and trying out. Most of you won't believe this, but I was a bit of a ham. I craved attention, and was usually the class clown. I decided I really needed to land this part. So when I read the lines, I used my cute high pitched elf voice. It was perfect! They loved it. I had a major roll! I was the elf that sneaked Twinkies into the weight watchers clinic for Santa and helped bust him out.

Now, I had a huge crush on the head exercise trainer, actually a couple of the trainers, but especially the head trainer. I had now found stardom and was getting to hang out with the cool kids. How far would this take me? I also had the flirty Marti that I had a duet with at the end of the play. What would I do? Would I use my new found popularity to break the heart of Annie?

Well, as much as I flirted with Kandace and Marti, I never made a move. I was loyal and faithful to my one true love. I could not even bring myself to do more than the normal flirty banter that kids don't even realize they do. I was hooked, hooked on Annie.

I have realized though how fame and fortune can destroy a man. Success is a dangerous thing, and it can tare you up. It breaks up relationships, love, friendship, and families. It hardens your heart and destroys you a little bit at a time. I admire those folks who can keep it together and have success. I held strong and made a choice that will remind me everyday that loyalty is stronger than success, fame and fortune.

Fourth Grade - pt 1 Life Lesson Running Towards Love

Entering into the fourth grade I was completely "in love." I had been "going out" with the same girl for most of the third grade and even over the summer! It was destiny. We passed notes in class and hung out during all the recess time. We were inseparable. We even started talking on the phone. I remember calling her and talking on our cordless phone, which was a big deal in those days. Her phone number and mine were really close to each other and I can still remember hers to this day. It's strange, but I think because it was so close to my phone number that's why it stuck all these years.

For this particular blog entry, I want to talk about a specific event that happened on a regular day in the fourth grade. It was seat changing day. It was the day that each kid took their belongings from their desk and lined up in the back of the room to select a new desk. It was one of those days that every fourth grader lived for. It was soon off to the races for our new seats. I remember wanting to make certain I sat next to Annie. I saw her put her stuff down and then boom, right next to her I slammed my belongings down. At nearly the same instance Mindy slammed her books down. It was a tie. Who would sit next to Annie? There was only one way to solve the problem, and it was our teacher, Miss Finch.

What would she decide? Who I be banished to the back row? Would I get to sit next to the love of my life? It was all too much for this fourth grade kid to handle. I was anxious and nervous. All kinds of emotions were running through my body.

She made her decision. I would be able to sit in the seat next to Annie until the next seat changing day! Yay! I am victorious. It was a great feeling being victorious. I could easily pass notes, help with math, and receive help for spelling. Mindy was unhappy, but only for a few days. Soon she was over it, I think. She may still hold a grudge!

I just know that when you are in love, you got yo run to it. Don't run away from it. Don't be scared of it. I don't think I got the concept back in the day, but I get it now. It's strange to look back at the lessons and go wow, I learned that in the fourth grade! There are more lessons from the fourth grade, but those are for another day!

Third Grade pt 4 - Life Lesson Girl's Wear Bra's

I am wrapping up the third grade tonight with a post about a girl that would come in and out of my life several times. We were always friends, we flirted for a while, and we even went on a date or two. We grew up close to each other and spent a great amount of free time with each other. She was a year younger than me and I was good buddies with her brother who was a couple years older than me. It seems that even when I would go hang with her brother, her and I would tend to hang out.

There are a couple stories I want to talk about with Marti. First let's talk about playing house. There was a big junk yard near our house and we loved to explore it. One of our favorite things o do was to dig in the old cars and find cool things and bring them to our hideout (she called it our house, but it was a hideout to me). It was either a large dumpster or an old storm shelter that wasn't buried. It could have been something else, but that gives you an idea. It had a ladder that went down into it. It was stinking cool! I remember we had a table and chairs, rope, old bottles, magazines, and other random toys and junk we had collected. I would make her explore and she would make me play house. It was an even trade off I suppose. It worked for us.

The second story I would like to share is when I realized that girls were different that boys. I went over to her house one day and she was very excited to see me. Her mom was in the living room and I had actually stopped by to see her brother. She came running out in her Wonder Woman training bra. She was so excited to show me her new wardrobe, neither of us knew how awkward this situation should have been. Her mother freaked out just a bit. I think this is when I realized that maybe she wasn't supposed to show me. I think sometimes kids pick up on these social clues, other times maybe not. I certainly did, became quite embarrassed, but soon moved on to go shoot my BB Gun with her brother.

I imagine it was just a simple crush that she had on her brother's friend. That playful flirting carried its way into high school and even after we both graduated. We never clicked, but somehow enjoyed the playful flirtations. The next time she enters my dating life, you will get a kick out that story.

I hope you have enjoyed the third grade. It was memorable. I remember dissecting bees in class (this was on my own time, not a class project), getting mad at my teacher for using my bottle of glue, the spelling bees, making the kazoo sound like a saxophone and Where's the Beef Lady for Halloween (my first cross dressing experience). Eventful little life I had in the third grade.

Third Grade pt 3 - Life Lesson The First Kiss

I'm going to wrap up the third grade story of Annie today. I think back to these events and how they shaped me. I honestly giggle when I think about them. I will talk about my first kiss and seven minutes in heaven in this blog.

Okay...seven minutes in heaven...a little game that we played when I was in third grade at Annie's birthday party. My friend Mark helped set this up and it's probably one of the only things he ever helped me out with (probably the only thing he helped me with). Of course after presents (I got her a heart necklace) and cake we kids were playing around. This landed us in her bedroom, I believe there were about seven or eight of us, maybe more. We were just being goofy kids. I remember she had a Chicago poster on the wall and I thought it was cool, because I loved the Chicago Cubs (this was the band Chicago, which I would learn about later in life). All of the sudden my friend Mark whispers a question to me about playing seven minutes in heaven with Annie. I didn't know what this was so he explained it. It's where you get locked in the closet with a girl and you stay in there with her for seven minutes. I was game...he asked who I wanted to be in there with...Annie...duh!

So, Annie and I get razzed by our peers and off we go to the closet. She had a huge walk-in closet and it was well organized. All of the sudden it was quiet and I was aware of the fact it was just us. There were oohs and ahs from outside the closet, and the occasional heckling. I didn't let that phase me. I really have no clue how long we were in the closet, but I know I wanted it to last forever. It's weird, we just talked and looked at her board games and she showed me her shoes and dresses. It was all very innocent, and I didn't quite understand the concept of the game (maybe this is why I never played this game again), however it was so great to spend that time with her...just me...just her...

I remember being one of the last kids to be picked up from her house that day. It was a good day, a really good day.

So you all thought that my first kiss was during this game. It actually came weeks later on the playground during morning recess. I had chased the girls (but singled out Annie of course) and we were just hanging out by the dome shaped monkey bar thing that was at the edge of the parking lot (remember we had a playground in the parking lot). It was about time for the bell to sound and get lined up to go back to class. I had finally gotten up the nerve to kiss her (I had been holding her hand for weeks). I leaned over and kissed her on the lips. Her reaction is priceless now, but was not what I expected when I was nine years old. She said yuck, spit and ran away. I still remember how funny she ran, I think mostly because she had these awkward long legs. I was heartbroken, my world was devastated. How could I face her and my friends after this? Well, the next day we were holding hands on recess and she reached over and kissed me on the cheek.

My first kiss...nothing grotesque...all so innocent and cute. I know you were hoping for something juicy...those stories are later...