1996-97: Year Ten

This is where the memories become most vivid for me … and this is when “the golden age” of my childhood began – from age 9 to age 12, life was simply beautiful, and I loved every minute of it.

What I’m most thankful for, looking back, was that this was the year we moved into Moscow and began attending Grace Baptist Church. So many memories formed here … and perhaps I remember them so clearly because this was the year I began journaling on a regular basis. Although looking back, my journal entries were quite laughable! For example:

January 3, 1997: “Dear Diary, Tomorrow I get to see Cinderella! I can’t wait! Maybe Lisa will put my hair in a braid. I’m going to go see.”

Ohhh life through a small girl’s eyes! I was the one obsessed with American Girl (I read every American Girl magazine, collected the books, saved my paper route money specifically to buy Samantha clothes and accessories, and read every single American Girl book multiple times) … the one who rode bikes and roller-skated with Krista in our apartment complex until the street lamps came on … the one who wore her jingle-bell socks to church … the one who experienced everything vividly.

And that fall was when we first started attending Grace Baptist, and I met some of my dearest friends in all the world … Natasha (well, okay, I’d already known her for a year or so! :), Kelsey, and Kimi. Little did I know that these were the type who would stay friends for life – and I’m so very glad they did! They made the most beautiful childhood memories with me, and I still cherish their friendship to this day.