30 Years

I think it’s a milestone when you live in a house for thirty years. Or when you have a thirty year old daughter. Or maybe when you still have a thirty year old nightgown.

Well, I have all three! The one I am most excited about is my 30-year old daughter, Amanda! Her birthday was yesterday; May 15. And that got me thinking about what was happening thirty years ago!

Well, first of all, in 1977, gas was only about 70 cents per gallon. And I remember that seemed very high. Twice as high as what we had been paying only 3 or 4 years previously!

Some of the best movies that year are still favorites: Saturday Night Fever, Annie Hall and one of my all-time faves: Star Wars!

The Donnie and Marie Show show began in 1977- we never missed it! I loved it. And back then, you had to be home at the right time and hope you had good reception in order to watch a favorite show! The mini-series Roots came out in 1977. That was a huge topic of conversation for weeks. Three’s Company was also a new big hit- although I never really personally liked it much.

I read that George H. W. Bush resigned as the head of the CIA in 1977. Dumb ‘ol Jimmy Carter was president. Darrell and I stood in line for two hours the previous year for me to vote for Gerald Ford and Darrell to vote for Jimmy Carter. We cancelled out each other’s votes as our country voted in one of the most ineffective presidents in recent history.

We got our first microwave in 1977. A microwave is still a non-negotiable in my life- and I was so excited to get that thing! And really, at that time, we were one of the first ones I knew who had one. Probably because of my huge interest in cooking!

What didn’t we have in 1977? Well, we didn’t have personal computers, the internet, the word “blog” hadn’t even been thought of, no cell phones. Cable TV was something we were kind of hearing about, but we sure didn’t have it. Another big difference in 1977, is we did not have ultrasounds. Expecting couples had no idea if they were having a girl or a boy- can you imagine? So, I know this seems straight out of the dark ages- but there was no registry for baby showers. Why would there be? So at my baby shower for Amanda, friends and family just bought me whatever they wanted. I got boy clothes, girl clothes, mis-matched baby stuff- and I loved it all.

I remember coming home from that baby shower and putting little stuffed animals into the baby boy/girl’s crib. And hanging up little bitty short dresses and corduroy boys’ pants in his/her closet. S/he got some girl’s shoes that were size zero. Little did I know when Amanda was born that a size zero would still be too big for her.

Amanda was born approximately 5 weeks early. When we took her home from the hospital she was only 5 pounds, 6 ounces. As big as a minute one of our first visitors told us.

Back in the 1977 dark ages, babies did not room in with their mothers in the hospital. But every four hours, you’d hear all the little baby beds rolling down the hallways, pulled by nurses, bringing the babies to be fed and ooed and ahhed over by their parents. The babies were never out in the rooms during visiting hours. Grandmas and grandpas could look through the nursery glass to see the new little ones- but that was it!

A lot has changed in 30 years- a lot of it for the better. But what hasn’t changed for me is the wonder of the precious little life we named Amanda Nichole. Today, she is the most dynamic God-lover, authentic Christian woman, loving daughter, devoted wife and head-over-heels-in-love mother of her own little baby girl, Lydia.

I love her. Happy birthday, Amanda. You are worthy of love.

BTW- the 30 year old nightgown? Darrell gave it to me the weekend before Amanda was born as a Mother’s Day gift. Little did we know we’d have a  baby the very next Sunday!I’ve always kept that nightgown because it brings back memories of one of the most exciting weeks of my life and my first baby, Amanda.