Sunday Radio Stars

I never really planned to remember this crazy Sunday afternoon. But I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 16 years old and it was a typical Sunday morning. For the most part. Julie Beth was in Home Ec. class and had been assigned one of those living baby dolls for the weekend so she had to bring the thing to church with her that morning. She, being 14 and incredibly self conscious as most girls her age are, was terrified it was going to break into mechanic sounding screams while the preacher was preaching. She sat near the back of the church and pushed the dolls car seat under the bench, trying to pretend it didn't exist. Unfortunately for her, baby boy was determined to let mommy know he hadn't forgotten about her.

I'm not sure the poor doll got an entire shriek out before JB had grabbed it out of it's seat and was out the swinging doors of the sanctuary fumbling for the key that would shut it up. Still in the sanctuary I was silently laughing so hard that I was almost crying and the few people sitting behind us were looking baffled. She came back in a few minutes later, looking extremely disgusted and embarrassed. I was still laughing.

Peter was working at the radio station on Sunday afternoons then so we all loaded up in his red car and went to the station to hang out with him. It was one of those afternoons where everything anyone did was hysterical. Julie Beth was a little sleep deprived from playing mommy dearest for the weekend. And anyone who knows Julie Beth, knows that sleep deprivation can only lead to two things. A) Extreme grouchiness or B) Insane silliness. This was a option B kind of day. Every song that played she was dancing with and lip syncing. I remember taking the picture above and laughing hysterically. Peter, as usual, was "above" our silliness. Never mind that he's only 3 months older than me. But as for Sarah and I, we found Julie Beth's antics hilarious. We all sang and pretended that we were the stars, reaching for dreams that we knew were above our realms of possibilities but believing in them none the less.

Crazy afternoons like these were a typical part of life growing up as a "Mt. Pleasant Kid". But this was one of these afternoons that always brings back a smile no matter what kind of day I'm having. We had no idea we were making a memory. Maybe it was just me making a memory. But forever in my heart I have a memory of a carefree afternoon with my best friends. God was giving us the very best years of our life and despite the everyday reminders we didn't realize it. We were happy and content, blissfully unaware that our lives would one day be so different. And for that day it was enough.