I Miss Kindergarten

Had sort of a fun night last night.

Dustin and I have established that we both went to Kindergarten together in Tumbler Ridge at Claude Galibois, so we reminisced about the things and people we remembered. He has an old class picture from that year, although no scanner, so I coerced him into taking a few snapshots of the picture to send along to me so I could point out which one I was and prove how good my long term memory actually is.

It's funny how many names I remember from this picture. I went down the line naming people I could, and coming back to the ones that were on the tip of my tongue.

I'm the one in pink in the upper left hand corner. A girl named Holly standing almost in front of me -- she was obnoxious then and still was 11 years later at Tumbler's grad.

My teacher's name was Ms. Facca and she moved to Fernie after Kindergarten. Ms. Facca will always remain in my memory as the best teacher I ever had. Mr. Dodd from grade 8, if you read this, you were totally a close second.

Craig, my high school boyfriend in Dawson Creek, is standing right in front of me, leaning into Jeff Schuerkamp's shoulder. I believe the kid in green was Tyrell Gardiner, and the kid next to him was called Troy. And he thought I had beautiful hair.

Alain and Dustin, himself, right in front of them in the very front row.

Moira LaPrairie is directly to the left of Dustin. She was a little slow, but if I remember, she was a really sweet girl. A few years ago, when Dawson opened it's own Walmart, Moira ran into my mom there and asked her how I was. It's funny how she remembered me and remembered my mom all those years later.

My kindergarten boyfriend, Kyle Beattie is beside her, and the boy next to him was Douglas, who cried when we sang a song called 'Douglas Mountain' because he was certain we were making fun of him. I don't remember who the boy next to him is, or the boy on the very outside, but the girl in Yellow was named Kendra. I know that.

Behind Douglas in the White t-shirt, her name was Rachel, and she peed the bed at my birthday party that year. She also wanted to go home at 2 in the morning. The guy between her and my old best friend Laura (Dustin, her last name was Avery! I knew it would come to me) I can't recall, as well as the guy on the outside edge.

Behind Laura is my other best friend, Melissa McVicar. The girl next to her was named Trish or Trisha, and between her and Ms. Facca was Sam. Who I had a crush on until he left Tumbler in Grade 2.

Of course at midnight Dustin needed to go to sleep, so I comforted myself by unpacking things from my hope chest.

I finally threw away the bouquet of flowers that Nick Tetachuk gave me in grade 8. Mom counselled me to keep them, since they were the first 'bouquet from a boy' but since it was mostly leaves and stems and the petals were covering everything, I decided sentiment isn't worth as much as orderliness.

I discovered embroidered pillowcases that my Aunt Patricia in Pensacola, Fl made me to start my hope chest. I kept those.

Pictures and momentos of Angel, my manx cat, and Alace, my Irish Setter also stayed in. I kept memorabilia from Brownies. My uniform, all my badges, my workbook and my certificate allowing me into the Guides -- which I never did.

I found baby clothes that I don't remember ever holding sentimental value. They all went into a bag for charity. Except the pink dress I adored as a kid, and my baby jumper that Mom brought me home from the hospital in.

The Spanish flamenco dancer doll my aunt sent me from Spain when she was in the Navy I'm still at odds about. It's pretty, but it'll stay in the box forever if I keep it. So do I donate it, and allow someone else's it's beauty?

I also found the set of rosary beads that my Nana passed down to me when my grandfather passed away. They were his, and I'll keep those forever. I may have my differences with Catholicism, but I know how much of a man of faith my grandfather is, and those beads mean a lot to me.

But wow.. this thinking about the past stuff is tiring.

Anyway.. DTD.. thanks for putting up with the memories, man!