I’m Totally Bringing an Annual to BlogHer

“What is this book, Mom?” my daughter asked, as she held the journal up for me to see.
“Where did you find that?” I asked.
“In the hall closet.” she responded.
What she had found was The Infamous Journal of 1987. A.K.A. The Infamous Journal of AWKWARD.
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Being different or a little weird wasn’t new to me. I was the child of an evangelist who believed that we were “from this world but not of this world.” So, I wasn’t allowed to do any in any activity that did not involve “glorifying Christ.”
That meant no dances. No sports. No field trips. No boyfriends. No wearing makeup. No wearing anything stylish. No “high bangs.” No hanging out with friends after school or on the weekends. No going dressing up on Halloween. No pretty much ANYTHING AT ALL. It made for a AWESOME high school experience!
My sophomore year in high school, my parents would not buy me a yearbook. It was just ONE MORE THING that made me Different Than Everyone Else. I was devastated! Mostly because I wanted people to sign it so I could spend all summer reading my yearbook (only after I finished reading my bible, of course!)
I came up with the most brilliant plan ever!
I went to Pic’N Save and bought a journal. And I called it my “Annual.” And I wrote my name on it and called it “My Annual.”
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And I took it to school and asked my friend’s if they would “sign My Annual.”
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They would all laugh. But then, they’d say things like “this is really cool, love writing on lines!” or “hahaha you so crazy!” Or “DEAR DIARY.” I’d laugh with them, but deep down inside I was embarrassed.But hell if I was going to let anyone know that. I walked around as if I was PROUD of My Annual and as if it was a privilege if I allowed you to sign it.
I didn’t know it at the time, but I was a total badass.