Friday, September 4, 2009

It's ELECTRIC!

I have memories of attending coed birthday parties as a preschool aged child. Kip's, for instance. It was probably his 3rd or 4th birthday and we played some balloon popping game in his back yard. And my neighbor, Jason Pattison. We went to Bullwinkles. I wet my pants because I was too embarrassed to ask his mom to take me to the bathroom. Poor logic...wetting my pants was like a thousand times more embarrassing than asking for help to the bathroom.

But around the time I was six, I learned of the horrible, contagious disease that all boys have; known to most of us as the common cootie bug. It can be easily spread by such things as attending a boys birthday party. Birthday parties became strictly girls-only for the next few years. Anyone remember Nicole Robertson's slumber party/ all night dance contest?

Then all of a sudden, boy-girl parties didn't sound so bad any more....they became some sort of a rite-of-passage. Though you never forgot that boys had cooties, you just didn't think catching cooties sounded all that bad. All the cool girls were catching them.

Kyle Lane invited me to his birthday party in sixth grade. I was nowhere close to the top of the list of cool girls in sixth grade. Quite the opposite. I was feelin' pretty on top of the world when the coolest boy in school invited me to his party. We went to....wait for it....the SKATING RINK. (Where else?) Jessica and Kyle totally couple skated and Kyle tried to show off by skating backwards and biffed it. Then back to Kyles house for cake and presents. We spent some time hanging out at Kyle's for a while and the separation of boys and girls appeared. The boys played basketball and Kyle's super cool older sister taught the girls the Electric Slide. I had never felt more cool at any point in my young life than I did at that moment.

Every time I've danced the Electric Slide since then (which is not all that often...I promise I don't dance the Electric Slide every afternoon alone in my living room), I can totally recall this memory and feeling on top of the world. And it makes me happy.

11 comments:

jeanine said...

I remember that party of Kip's... so much fun!
And I love the electric slide memory :)

Traci Elizabeth said...

I don't know how you remember this stuff.

Where is Nicole Robertson now any ways???

Amanda B. said...

Oh, come on.... admit it.... the electric slide is how you get your daily exercise in, isn't it?? :) ha ha! Very cute memory!

Genn said...

I was just thinking what Traci asked, where is Nicole these days? Anybody know?

Your memory is incredible Katie. You actually remember wetting your pants and being too embarrassed to go ask to go... that is insane. I have no such memories from that age.

Cute post.

Kris said...

Very sweet memories!

Danielle said...

boogie woogie woogie woogie...would you believe that they are still playing that song at the church dances now? I of course have to join in the line...and I had to teach it to quite a few YW...ahh did I feel old or what?

Sam and Becky said...

Fun post Katie. :)

Kris said...

Katie,
Thank you for your very sweet comment on my blog regarding our family pictures!!!

Kelly said...

Katie, your memory IS insane! How do you do it? And Nicole, I have the same question... where is hse?

Kyle Lane... that story cracks me up!

jeanine said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

amelia said...

Don't you love those memories? It's fun reliving through those moments that return back to you. Thanks for sharing - it made me happy too!