Day 10: Childhood Memory

Of course I have many childhood memories, but trying to capture one on camera today was tricky. That was until I got the invite to go swimming with some great friends at a nearby pool. Ah ha! What a major childhood memory. Almost every day in the summer we would load up in my mom's station wagon and head down the street to Briarwood Swimming Pool Club. What a name, right?!

Lunches were packed and coolers were stocked. We set up all day every day, and it was the greatest time. Wow--memories are flooding back right now. The sprayer in the shallow end. My Barbie birthday party. School pool days. The opening of the slides and those steps. Slipping on the slide mats. A few night swims. Learning that the water would turn red if you went to the bathroom in it. (Whatever.) Ice cream treats. Butterfingers. Those NASTY bathrooms. I could go on and on, but the memory I tried to capture today was what happened at the end of the day. We would dry off, load up in the back of the station wagon, and face backwards for the drive home. It. Was. AWESOME. And guess who dried off after hours at the pool and sat facing backwards on the way home today? None other than my sweet Reese.

If today was any indicator of her love for swimming, we better have a permanent place to swim really soon. This girl was in heaven. Laughing out loud, squealing with delight, splashing all around, jumping up and down in the baby pool, and just as content as could be the entire time we were there.
Now for one final thought on this whole swimming business. You know that feeling you get after you have been wet for a while and then you get dry, clean clothes on? I know I'm not the only one that thinks it's one of the best feelings in the world. Another all-time favorite childhood memory is from Strong River Camp. I was taught these lessons along with many others...

"It's a privilege to get wet and then dry."

"It's a privilege to be dirty and then clean."

And so on and so on.

I don't have a picture of Reese (or myself for that matter) from when she got dried and into clean clothes tonight, but it was pretty priceless. She nursed and then went right to sleep. Can't beat that.