10,20,30 Years Ago - What Was Going on for YOU?

Do you remember what was going on for you in 1997? How about 1987? How about 1977? It's crazy to think about, isn't it? Karen over at Karen's Ramblings had this meme over at her place this week. It has had me thinking all week. So, I thought I would share some of the pivotal things that were going on in my life, in each of these years. Hopefully, we can all laugh and remember some shared experiences together!

• 1977 - I was 12. I had my very first boyfriend, a neighbor boy. I went to private school. We had a small town, and unbelievably, we had 2 small Catholic schools. Well, in my 6th grade ('77) we combined the 2 schools into 1. It really was the best use of resources in our small town. The school I had gone to, was sort of the more "blue collar" element of the Catholic community in our town. That one was now shut down, and absorbed by the ever so slightly elevated other Catholic school. It was with much trepidation that we all entered into our new school year in '77. We felt we were being sent to go to school with the snobs! No telling what the "other" school felt like! Of course, we NEVER thought of that! Can you believe we ever survive these things! Gracious! I have to say, this is the year that the teen angst started hitting me. I became moody, difficult to get along with, and I had never been like that as a child. I never really recovered from the moodies until I got saved, more on that later. Ummm...this was the year of platform shoes and I DO believe that Bee-Gees were big... Music - For you music fiends, here are some of my favs from then - Best of My Love - Emotions, Your Love Has Lifted Me Higher - Rita Coolidge, Undercover Angel - Alan O'Day, Dancing Queen - ABBA, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer, Rich Girl - Hall & Oates, Hotel California - Eagles, Gonna Fly Now - Rocky Theme! Sooo many more! This was a BIG year! I was surprised at the time defining songs on the list. I could go on, but you get the pic!
• 1987 - I was 22 yrs old, married for 4 years and had 1 child. I was not attending church, and I was working in a job that would become a career, (by God's grace and no less), in an administrative capacity in law enforcement. Looking back at this period, I am now aware that I was extremely lost and empty, spiritually speaking. I had a happy marriage and loved my child, and had lots of family. Yet something was missing, I just wasn't clear on what that something was. This would become a thirst, that I would focus on slaking, by drawing near to God in the ways that I knew, until He could teach me new ways. It took several years! He is sure patient! Music - Some of the ones that stick with me, and I can remember driving to work and daycare listening to are: Walk Like An Egyptian - Bangles, Mony, Mony - Billy Idol, I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Huston, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For -U2 (that was my heart at that time, though I didn't recognize it at the time.), Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi.
• 1997 - Still married, now have 2 children, and now my job has been a career for nine of ten years, since our last stop on memory lane. I am a committed, but immature Christian up to this point. Immature only because I have so much growing to do, and so much to learn. Everything is in technicolor now. There is a grounded sense of purpose, there are healthy values, perspectives and boundaries. This brings peace. As does the transforming power of spiritual rebirth. This year was significant. It was a year of transition, of restoration. I remember we paid off a significant debt that year. It felt really good. We got a nice, used Bronco that my honey loved! We took our first family 2 week vacation (my second 2 weeker). We learned during that vacation, how to be what I call a domestic family. It was wonderful and taught us this was the lifestyle we wanted. Our normal style of family life had been what I'll call working family. This means EVERYTHING was done by the seat of our pants. Our kids were the first to get to day care, and last to be picked up. Because we had married young, then went to work, (and work hard), somehow we had chiseled out these roles for ourselves, which were not ideal for healthy family dynamics. Because my honey had always had a job working outside or in a capacity where he couldn't take care of certain family business matters, a lot of family details had originally fallen on me. Somehow, that had evolved into something it wasn't ever meant to be. I was not making room for him to take the lead, in many appropriate ways, where we both truly longed for him to. During the past year or so, here in 1997, we had recognized this, and started repairing and relearning. This 2 week vacation now gave us a chance to stop the hamster wheel of life, long enough to think and practice some of our newly found skills. It was invigorating and eye opening. Up to this point, most of what we did, was what we thought had to be. Time away (we went camping in the mountains, in a very rustic setting for 2 weeks) gave us the ability to say, "Hey, there are actually different ways to live, and they suit us better than what we have been doing. We just have to work towards it." So we did! Music - I am showing my age here. As I look at this list, several things jump out at me. For instance, the names of the bands, and the names of the songs. One song is a curse word, several are very provocative. MMMBop -Hanson, If it Makes You Happy - Sheryl Crow, Macarena - (Bayside Boys Mix) Los Del Rio.

I hope you guys could relate to some of the changes life brings over the years. It was enlightening to me, to look backwards and see how far we really have come! It gives me hope for the next 10, 20 and 30!

This is not a tag meme, so if you decide to do your own, do tell and I will pop over! I'd love to hear some of your stories!

Have a great weekend!

P.S. If you want more music info for these years here's where you can go for the Top 100 for each year:

1977 - 1987 - 1997