Lost In Memories - Growing Up in the 90s

Chapter Two - Dedicated to my two sisters

     Before the age of the text message, where we have become slaves to technology, there was the glorious 90s, my wonder years. Growing up in the 90s was bubble pop delicious as us kids lived a carefree life with TRL and tamagotchis.

     Before that, the early 90s are the home to my first memories. I remember the Jersey boardwalk and the smell of salt water. I remember riding carousels and salt water taffy that got stuck in my teeth. I believe there are some distinct things we remember from childhood. Much how being at the ocean brings me back to a place of innocence, my parent's Plymouth Voyager drives throughout my memories just as strong, but with more mileage.

     It was our family's minivan in light blue with the suede grey interior. It was lived in for sure and smelled that way. There is something about the smell of that car I will never forget. Maybe it smelled like family or love, or maybe it just reeked of memories. As pleasantly potent it smelled, the seats felt even more vivid. It had two rows of back seats, as my sisters and I always fought about who would sit in the back. The last row was like a long bench to us as kids, where we could stretch out during our long trips to Florida, as I remember playing with the fuzz  that  hung from the seat in front of it. 

     As time rolled on, the 90s gave us Power Rangers, Saved by the Bell, Full House, and Fresh Prince. As I grew up being mesmerized by these characters, I made up some of my own. I was obsessed with Barbie dolls right up to my preteen days. I would sit for hours creating story lines and acting them out. I made them perfect lives and would get lost in their world. The 90s created Barbies such as the dad with the little "Tommy" doll. He was adorable with his baby blue eyes and mushroom cut, sandy blond hair. It was refreshing to have some men in the mix. However, I will never forget the "Becky" Barbie.

     She was a teen Barbie with silky, auburn hair and cute freckles. Don't let those cute looks fool you because Becky was a whore. She was the pregnant Barbie where one could remove the full term belly, or put it back on. The tiny infant Barbie lied inside the plastic womb, for at least I learned some important female anatomy. Just like MTV's 16 and Pregnant glamorizes teen pregnancy to an extent, so did "Becky". At the time, we had no idea what society was teaching us, but this new edition to my Barbie world led up to interesting plot twists. There was nothing more fantastic than this plastic.

     But nothing could beat my preteen years. My sisters and I shared a room that went from pink walls to blue, to yellow, to purple. Bunk beds and all, I cherish the time we spent there and the moments we shared.

      Amongst our favorite things to do was to play PlayStation while listening to LFO. As we sang every word to songs that has Jennifer Love Hewitt in the music video, we would take turns playing "Driver" for hours. We would just cruise around, as I would make up scenarios in my head of picking up people for a night on the town.

     "Tomb Raider" was another crowd pleaser, but frankly, we were chicken shit. We would have to call our mom to kill the bear or go around the scary corner to shoot the wolves. She would come in, slay the beast and hand back the remote, for she was super woman. We would make Laura jump around and hit walls where the infamous "Ugh" sound would be made. There was nothing morbidly better than drowning her in her mansion's pool, or harassing the butler whom we called "the old geezer".

     Another hit game that was crack to our young minds was "3Xtreme". We would take turns being the characters, as "humper girl" was amongst the favs. There was nothing like virtually beating the crap out of each other.

     Although cheesy, I to this day, love some 90s music. I remember the day my mom brought home our first Britney CD, but nothing shaped my preteen years more than Hiliary Duff's Lizzie McGuire. Thanks Disney for creating an awkward preteen that appealed to us, but better yet thanks for the franchise it became. I realize that the show began in 2001, not the 90s, but what captures the innocent bubble pop days more than some clean cut, family fun, Disney channel.

     My sisters and I would spend hours making concerts to "This Is What Dreams Are Made Of", choreography and all. The trends of the 90s (and on) eventually were laid to rest, but the memories of Justin Timberlake still being part of NSYNC* will live on. Maybe I was born the wrong era, but I will always love the 90s.