Are You Ready for Some More Giggles?

Okay, I went through more pictures and found some winners. First of all, sorry for the blurry, low-tech pictures. Taking a picture of a picture is a little difficult and I don't have time to scan them all! Now, let me explain a Reber tradition that has been extended to the grandchildren in our family. When we were little, we always dressed up in costume for Thanksgiving. We were either pilgrims, Indians or some famous American from the past:

1982...Dawn was Betsy Ross, I am not going to guess who Dayna and Denise were, Dolly was Laura Ingalls and I was Carrie Ingalls.

1987: I guess I didn't get Dolly's memo that she was now "grown up" and too mature to play silly, childish games.

Here we have sweet, little Dolly one cold Thanksgiving morning in a perfectly pressed pinafore, neatly tied bonnet, beautiful soft, bouncy curls. Perfect.

The following year: Here comes trouble in a wrinkly pinafore with chocolate stains all down the front, untied bonnet, sticky face and unkempt hair. Tragic.

This is a little blurry, but basically this was my family one Autumn day on a hike up to Sharp Top (a famous mountain near Lynchburg). We packed food for a picnic in our backpacks and my brave Daddy took 6 girls on a mile+ hike. Wow. You can't really tell from the photo, but Miss Always-on-Top-of-Fashion, Dawn, has on some awesome (sorry Denise) jeans with white roses all over them. I used to wish I could fit into them. You also can't see that she has a gold chain coming out of the top of her turtleneck. Remember that cool trick? Oh, and we all have walking sticks. Phewwww. That mile hike will get you every time.

Okay, cue the music for "She's a Lady". The year was 1992 and I was sa--ssy and I had my hand on hip to prove it! Hey, when you have 4 older sisters for fashion role models, you can't help but look good. Low down from head to toe: nice curl/tendril coming down on my forehead, bushy "not old enough to wax yet" eyebrows, braces, gold clip-on earrings because I wasn't old enough for pierced ears, all the way buttoned up shirt with gold chain around the collar, baby blue pleated pants that were rolled up past my ankles for an ever so stylish look, cream pantyhose and check out those shoes! Cream flats with big, silk bows. I thought they were the coolest things. Two words: Awkward stage.

Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be...REDNECKS! No, this isn't me and Dawn dressing up for Thanksgiving. This was honestly me and Dawn at a VINCE GILL concert! What?! Yep, we actually went out of the house in these outfits. Some of my family drove the hour to Roanoke, VA one evening to see Vince in concert. I remember planning my outfit and feeling so "with it". Notice, I still have that shirt buttoned all the way up. Yes, those are cowboys lasso-ing on my shirt and my sister Dawn is wearing the cool 90's poet shirt with her black western hat. Classy. I'm really embarrassed that we looked like this...and that we went to a Vince Gill concert! I hate country music, with the minor exception of the Judds. They're iconic.

Hope you got a good laugh.