15

Last month I started getting the 8mm film that my Mom took of us when we were kids. Boy, is that stuff expensive to get converted to DVD! It's worth every penny, though. Just getting to see and hear my parents again is priceless. So far, I have watched 2 of the 4 DVDs that were completed. One was from camcorder film from 1990-1991, and that included my 15th birthday. Some of my relatives were there, and Kevin filmed me opening presents. It was January, 1991. When I think back to that year, I realized just how much happened to me that year; how my entire life would change that spring and summer. It was my freshman year in high school, and I didn't have that many friends the first semester due to the new school. The "spring of 15" would bring my first season on the badminton team and meeting a bunch of new friends, most of whom I am still in touch with today. The "summer of 15" would change my life forever. We moved out of the rental house that my parents had rented for the lease was up, and they hadn't found anything yet so we spent the next 4 months living at Hawthorn Suites Hotel. This is how I met my first boyfriend, Todd. It was one of the best summers ever- being with friends, going to Six Flags a few times a week,taking my first college course, hanging out with Todd... until... my Mom filed for divorce. This was quite a shocker as us kids had no idea this was going to happen. It immediately distanced us from our Father and this was tough. He brought it out on me and unconventionally ended my relationship with Todd. Sophomore year came, which was great to be busy again and in October, I fell in love with Bruce, who I would end up dating for 3 years. That was 15. It is just so weird to see the footage from that 15th birthday, seeing me opening presents and having absolutely no idea what was in store for me that year.