by Michaela Easterling

When I Was Young

When I was young, we'd spend our afternoons riding bikes. We'd come home from school, drop off our book bags, and tell our moms goodbye for the afternoon. We were told to "be back when the street lights came on." We peddled around until our legs were like jelly. Those were some good times.

When I was young, we drove to Denver, Colorado every year for Christmas to see our family. After loading up the family station wagon, we spent 2 full days traveling over 1,500 miles. Sometimes my siblings and I fought over who sat in the “far back.”  But we always got over it. We played car games like “the license plate game” and “the alphabet game” to pass the time. We also cranked up the radio and rocked out to our favorite tunes. I’ll never forget those road trips.,

When I was young, and got a good grade on a test, or wanted to celebrate an accomplishment, my dad and I would swing by the gas station on the way home from school for a "victory drink."

It wasn't about the drink, so much as it was the celebration. Something about getting to pick out anything I wanted from that store seemed like a treat. Celebrating with my dad was what made it extra special.