The evolution of me

I've been meaning to do this for a long time. I wish I could say it was because I've gotten tons of requests to show the evolution of the mullet afro of mine, but alas this is not the case. (Though I suppose this post COULD be called The Evolution of the Afro and Curly Mullet). I just felt like I should scan these pictures into my computer for family history purposes. And then, since it was a rather large project, I decided to post these on my blog for all to see. So without further ado, here I am, from birth to now.

This is me at 6 months, under the ubiquitous blossoming tree it seems everybody used for pictures during the 80s. You almost don't notice that lovely parasol behind me. Does anyone else see Baby Brother in this face?

One year old. This begins the journey to my curly mullet. You will notice that by one year of age, I already had the afro well in hand.

Kindergarten. I loved this little blue and purple dress. It had this great little belt which I thought was super cool. I was a little jet setter. I loved kindergarten: painting, playing house, riding trikes and naptime. Though I thought it was a chore at the time, how I wish I was made to take a nap halfway through the day now.

First Grade. Most of my school pictures feature me in a homemade outfit, and this one I LOVED. By now, I am sporting the curly mullet. I did not want to go to first grade, I cried and cried the first day. But then I found a girl on the playground in my class who didn't want to go to first grade either, who was crying and crying too, and we became friends.

Second Grade. Homemade outfit, shorter hair, combination afro and mullet, and a really great tan. We must have gone to the beach a lot that summer.

Third Grade. This was a year that I was in the same class as my sister, Lindsay, because they combined second and third grade. My favorite job in third grade was clapping the chalkboard erasers. My teacher had a chalkboard eraser that was like a foot long. It seems like another place and time, chalkboards and chalk and erasers. Nobody has them anymore.

Fourth grade. This was my first ugly year. This picture was so awful, the afro, the mullet in a low ponytail in the back, the crooked and missing teeth, it's just plain sad. Not even a face my mother could love, because while my other school pictures are 8x10, the fourth grade picture only comes as big as a 5x7. I think I look cute in a awkward sort of way. Luckily, I started pulling out of it by the end of the year, and the mullet sort of became history. I still had the homemade clothes though, and loved 'em. I think this outfit had a matching reversible vest. Fourth grade was the year everybody brought trolls to school, and maybe that's where my look came from. I look like a little troll.

Fifth grade. I'm back on the afro track now, and my teeth are still crooked, but I've lost the mullet for the most part. Fifth grade was quite possibly my favorite year of elementary school. I started doing a lot of creative writing, and wrote several short stories and also made a magazine, all of which I still have to this day. Maybe I'll post those stories someday.

Sixth grade. This is was my peak as far as the afro goes.

Seventh grade. This was when boxer shorts were the fashionable thing to wear for shorts, and I had some green and blue plaid ones, along with some blue and green plaid Converse shoes, also in style. When we bought the shoes, they had a blue and green plaid scrunchie that we also bought at the same time. I was the matchingest child in the whole seventh grade. I wore this outfit on the first day of school too. My mom dropped me off by myself on the first day of seventh grade and I was all alone in this big new school to find my classes with tons of kids I didn't know. My mom feels guilty about that still, but I don't think I've been traumatized.

Eighth Grade. I was wearing boxer shorts with this outfit too, but purple and magenta ones this time. It was my favorite outfit. My hair was getting longer, but I was still brushing it on the top. I had a thing or two to learn about curly hair still. Eighth grade was fun, but it was my Pre-Algebra year, and that was not fun.

Ninth grade. I had just come from marching band practice to get my picture taken, so this is not my best picture. I have yet to discover makeup. But I was a great little flute player in the school's small marching band. By this time, my mullet days were history, but my band director Mr. Edo was s serious mullet wearer, and he also wore big sunglasses with a chain around them so they didn't fall off his mullet covered head.

Tenth grade. I have now discovered makeup, but in the extremely wrong color, at least for lipstick. The Avon lady regrettably did not make a recommendation when I bought from her. Anyway, the orange lipstick really sets off my braces and combed hair on the top. I still have that shirt, and was still wearing it up until about last year. I kind of feel sad when I look at this picture, as it was a diificult time in my life. This is what I looked like when I hung out with the gothic kids at lunch, because I had no one else to sit with. I decided to find some different friends the lunch they started talking about their previous suicide attempts and how to be anorexic.

Eleventh grade. I am actually wearing a cute shirt in this picture, and though I still have braces, I remember figuring out makeup a little better that year.

My Senior Year. This was a good year for me, I finally kind of figured out the right things to wear, my teeth were finally straight, and I figured out my hair and makeup.

Freshman year, BYU.

Freshman year, BYU. I wanted to include this picture of me with straight heair, because I don't straighten it often, but this is what it looks like when I do.

2001. This is the year I married Coach.

2002. Princess was born in this year.

2003. I graduated from BYU.

2004. I couldn't find a good representative picture, but this is an okay one.

2005. Family picture

2006. Chirstmas Picture.

2007. Most recent picture.