When I was young I think I got into just as many predicaments as I do now. Junior High was a particularly awkward time, as it is for many, but for me that seemed to be amplified. Certain things didn't help, like going to a school that requires uniforms. This just prevented me from developing any fashion sense whatsoever. So then when I did have to pick something out to wear, I was lost. I remember picking one of my dad's flannel shirts off of his closet floor for 'uniform free Friday'. The shirt was baggy, practically came down to my knees, was not flattering or even washed for that matter. I figured I was cool because I had seen my friends wear flannel before. Until I got to school and one of my friends looked at me and said, "What are you wearing?? Grunge is so last year!"
Huh, news to me.
It also didn't help that I was extremely sheltered from any form of pop culture at the time. The hippest thing I knew was 'Carman'. One time I remember we were having a cd burning party at youth group to 'rid ourselves of all worldly influences & secular music'. I distinctly remember this girl coming up to me and teasing me by saying, "Oh yeah, Elaina... Like you have any music to burn. Right".
To which I replied in all sincerity, "Hey, I happen to have some Amy Grant I'm getting rid of. She crossed over, ya know!"
I wish I were joking. This pretty much sums up my developmental years.
The summer of 8th grade I vividly remember a weekend where all of my awkwardness seemed to be particularly apparent. My best friend's family owned a trailer in NH where they would vacation in the summers. That weekend they took me and several of my classmates with them and it was supposed to be a really good time. It didn't start well though...on the 3 hour car ride to NH I threw up all over the van and in front of my friends and of course the guy I had a crush on. To make matters worse I got sick on my best friend's favorite Garfield pillow she'd had for years and when we got to the camp ground we tried to wash it and all the stuffing came out. She was not happy with me.
The next day we decided to take some inner tubes and float down the river with some new snorkles and masks that her parents had just bought. After a while in the river I noticed that I had dropped my snorkle and mask somewhere in the water while floating. I was so nervous because I knew they were not going to be happy and I was already not being a very good guest by puking all over their car. We were gone so long looking for the lost items in the river that her parents called the police and sent out a search party for us. So not only did I get my friends in trouble, but then I had to tell them I had lost their new cool stuff. They made me pay for it. Double awkward.
The next day we went tubing in Lake Winnipesaukee on their friend's brand new boat. It was their prized possession and warned us about taking extra good care of it. All of sudden we heard the dad screaming,
"UH!!! Which one of you has buckles on your sandals? You tore our brand new leather seats!"
Everyone started panicking, looking from foot to foot. Naturally, everybody's eyes fell on my feet...the only buckled pair of sandals.
Which of course, I had just borrowed from my friend for the afternoon.
But believe me, it gets better. A couple hours later we were all swimming in the water with the boat stopped. My friend was on the tube and the boat was getting ready to take her tubing around the lake. All of a sudden she yelled, "Elaina, come help me! I'm getting too close to the motor, can you pull me away? Hurry!" I swam over and grabbed the rope to pull her to safety when all of a sudden the boat took off. Apparently no one gave the 'all clear' before they decided to go. The rope got wrapped around my arm and before I knew it I was a human water ski. I was being pulled under water only to resurface every few seconds to yell with my mouth full of water, "Dwop da boa..." and then I was back under water. "Pweez, mumbuddy bwelp!" Just when I thought I was about to drown, someone must have heard my garbled cries because they did stop the boat and I was pulled to safety. I got a nice black ropeburn around my arm though that lasted for months.
Needless to say, the weekend pretty much went on like that the rest of the time. Skinning my knees, spilling things, breaking valuables, drawing attention to myself. You get the idea.
Thank goodness I don't do silly things like that anymore!
Right?