Awakening the 13 year old within.

There are very few times when I actually feel like an adult. I've said it on here before, it's no secret. But recently, with everything that we've been doing, I've had no choice but to feel and act with a little maturity.

That is, of course, until this morning. Because as I buckled myself in the car with the rest of my family, my husband popped in a tape (ya.. a TAPE... remember those?) that had the inscription Disney Collection scrawled on the top in writing that looked remarkably like my mother's. My eyebrow raised, I waited patiently for "the point". Bear Necessities came on, followed by that song that those siamese cats sang in.... that movie about the dogs... Lady and the Tramp. I was enjoying the smooth ride into my past, remembering listening to these songs that my mom recorded for me, all from when the Disney movies were good. But then my nice ride into my past was pushed violently to the cusp of teenage years, to that awkward time when I still wanted to act like a kid, but it suddenly wasn't cool anymore. The song broke off, and in a very noisy fashion, my young voice came on saying something to the effect of LAAAAAAAAAAAADIEEES AND GENTLEMEN!!!! INTRODUUUUUCING WEIRD ALLLLLLLL!!!! That younger version of myself then went on to record several Weird Al songs (by holding the tape-recorder up to my boom-box, of course), all the while singing along with them. It was karaoke. Karaoke done very badly. By an awkward version of myself. After a few songs, young me dazzled the crowds by doing a few minutes of stand-up, laughing uproariously at her own jokes and not minding the least that she was talking to herself, and not knowing that years down the road, she would be forced to relive this moment with her husband and children sitting in the car.

I could do nothing but laugh. I tried to convince Paul that I was only 8, maybe 10, but immediately after I made that claim, young me started going on about how she was about to turn 13. Dang.

We only got halfway through the first side of the tape, so I am sure there are more fun times to come in our car. Paul is thoroughly enjoying this, and I've learned not to mind it because, well, he's already married me. I've had his children. He's stuck, no matter what he learns about me from 8th-grade me. So carry on, tone-deaf Laura. Sing your heart out, girl.