I remember...

I remember red tulips blooming on the mulch line that leads to my the front door of the house I grew up in.

I remember blue skies spotted with fluffy clouds in Alabama as we drove down the freeway in our minivan toward the beach in the summer.

I remember green grass of the soccer fields at Avery Park where I spend so much time watching and playing soccer, softball and baseball.

I remember purple shoes that I insisted on wearing on our family trip to Washington D.C. when I was younger. I remember counting the steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial and the blisters on the back of my heel.

I remember white pom poms that I would cheer with in the basement with my cousins.

I remember black velvety overalls that I wore to get my picture taken in the third grade and the Scotti Dog covered turtle neck I wore under them. I remember overall skirts and having the strap unbuckled during school.

I remember my pink and purple bike that I crashed into the side of a tunnel on a bike path in my hometown. I remember going fast and not being able to stop. I also remember my mom telling me later that I wasn't going fast at all.

I remember blue eyeshadow that we wore in middle school. I remember the sparkly blue kind that my best friend had, and I even remember thinking it looked good. I remember looking back at pictures and not believing we dressed that way. I remember when makeup was off limits except for eye shadow and lip gloss.

I remember green picnic silverware that we used to eat on our deck in the summer with bees swarming and the heat beating down.

I remember green and gold nail polish that was filled with sparkles and required scrubbing to remove. I remember painting our nails for spirit days, pep rallies and games. I remember when school spirit started to seem stupid.

I remember silver spray paint that covered the grass behind my apartment when I built a cardboard robot with a friend for a robot party for the magazine I edit.

I remember yellow rocking chairs sitting on the porch of a beach house we stayed at one summer. I remember sitting in them and letting the salty air sink in. I remember the summer my mom decided to paint our deck rocking chairs yellow, too.

I remember my cousin Katie and the time she was trapped in the shower when I stayed at their house. I remember my aunt telling her to hold tight until she finished her errands.

I remember my cousin Molly and the time she had a circular bruise from suctioning a glass to her face by breathing in. I remember when she didn't learn her lesson and did it again a few weeks later

I remember my brother Brad and the time he convinced my cousin there was a secret passage in our basement and I was hiding in it.

I remember my brother Brian and listening to music with him in our family room before his basketball games his senior year in high school.