Ghost of Easter Past

Thank you to everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers for my family during the loss of my grandmother. I am so grateful.

After my last Wordless Wednesday post I knew I'd have some explaining to do. The picture is a bit deceiving. M to the Izz-A did in fact throw Kate up into the air, and while it was higher than I would have liked, it is not as high as it looks. My cousin Ben snapped the pic and because the tree limbs start pretty low on that particular tree, it makes is look as if she's extremely high. Or at least that's the story I keep telling myself. As you can tell, I'm trying to convince myself just as much as I'm trying to convince all of you.

With Easter around the corner, I thought it would be fun to revisit a few Easters photos from way back when. (Fun for you all, not so much me....you'll see why.)

I've always loved Easter. Til this day, I still think of coloring Easter eggs every time I smell vinegar. The eggs, the hunt, the Easter dress, and that annoying fake grass in the bottom of my basket, I love it all. But I have to tell you, when it came to the Easter egg hunt at Grandma's house, most everyone stayed out of my way. I was all business and didn't like losing, although I did... a lot. Not only did I want to win by finding the most eggs, but I also wanted to find the prize egg, which was always one of those egg-shaped containers that Grandma's Leggs Pantyhose (shade: Suntan) came in. Why did people ever think that buying suntan colored pantyhose really made them look like they had a tan?? Did they think that everyone would think that their legs had somehow gotten tanned and that their ivory arms missed the rays? Or that the big seam running across their toes while hanging out of her strappy heels didn't provide a clue?)

Let's take a look at a few Easter photos from the good ole days...the days when Aussie Scrunch Spray ruled and posing came easy.


We'll start out easy (on me). I'm the babe in my mom's arms.

No doubt my dad is the winner in this pic. The perm and the 'stache...well, they speak for themselves. Props to my mom for making her daughters wear their Easter hats, which I think was a requirement for Easter Sunday services back then, and for labeling this photo...with a snippet of notebook paper and tape. And that of course is Sal Gal in the front. The only one who appears to be truly happy. It must be those perfectly straight, blunt cut bangs.

Next is brown on brown. I'd say that 80% of my childhood pictures are brown-tinged. This is me with Sal Gal. As you can see, I had already busted into my chocolate bunny, before the sun came up I'm sure.

Ahhh yes, now we're getting somewhere. Here I am with Big Al....and a lion's mane worth of hair. Last night's bangs obviously still intact, fly backs still flying.




And here I am on a mission. A mission to be the Easter egg hunt champ. Unfortunately I didn't win this particular year and I can only assume it was because my hair weighed more than my body, which totally messed with my speed.

Wow. Really? The toe point, the bangs...and I very well could have benefited from wearing suntan colored pantyhose, over my entire body!

This particular year I chose the nautical/sailor girl look. And I can almost guarantee that I had a brushed out perm in this pic. I think I had a brushed out perm throughout most of my childhood. I'd get a perm and then hate it, and try to brush it out. Needless to say I was unsuccessful in my attempts. And although I used to make fun of Sal Gal and her friends for laying their hair across the ironing board and ironing each other's hair, I'm thinking I should have slapped my head on that board and let them go to town. Thank goodness I couldn't get this pic to zoom in more than this.

I remember taking this picture. Again, with the hair. Why?! This particular year I gave the nautical look to Sal Gal and went for a more flower girl look, hat and all. But I think Big Al wins this one with those bangs (or lack of) . I distinctly remember that she cut them herself. And if you've ever done this, you know there is absolutely nothing you can do to make them look any better. My mom was horrified. Out of three of us, if anyone was going to cut their own bangs, it was Big Al. The same Big Al that while at church one Sunday, walked through the church doors and because the doors closed so quickly it caught the sleeve of her dress in it. Well, instead of opening the door to release her sleeve, she just jerked her arm really hard and ripped off part of her dress and kept walking. Yep, that's Ali in a nutshell.

To post this last pic I had to lay all pride aside. Can you say awkward phase?

I mean, I understand the Easter bunny leaving you Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. But did he have to leave me his teeth?!! I'd like to give a shout-out to Dr. Geiger and associates for their time and dedication to my grill during the early nineties. Holla!

Here's to hoping that this year's family Easter photo is missing flybacks, bunny teeth, and unibrows.