Three Photos - Friday Reflections (Not on Friday) Vol. 10

One of the prompts for this week's Friday Reflections is to choose three photos of yourself across your lifetime and write how you feel when looking at them, where you were, what you were doing, what you were like, etc.  Here goes...

My dad's 67th birthday is today, so I was inspired to use one of the few pictures in which he and I are pictured together.  This oldie but goodie was taken in the late 1970s and I was probably three, maybe four years old.  We are in the front yard of my paternal grandparent's house.  I vaguely remember the lane when it was graveled, for it was paved with asphalt sometime in the 80s and that's how I picture it in my mind.  My parents' Chrysler is behind us and even further in the background, partially obscured by overgrown weeds, is the Winnebago that belonged to my grandparents' neighbors.

I don't remember the moment when this picture was taken, but apparently, from what I've been told, sitting atop my father's shoulders was a favorite place of mine when I was young.  

Looking at this picture now, I feel a mixture of emotions. I feel a certain amount of wistfulness along with a certain amount of disconnect.  My relationship with my father is... complicated, so as I look at this picture, I long for a time when things were much simpler between us.

This is a picture of myself along with my best friend of 28 years, Christina, and Peggy, our very good friend from high school and college, who just happens to also be my cousin-in-law.  This picture was taken in Washington D.C. twenty-two years ago today. The three of us made a road trip to our nation's capital during our spring break from college.  We were the guests of one of our college friend's family who lived in nearby Alexandria, VA.

I remember this day quite vividly, for the weather was terrible.  It was overcast, quite chilly, and rained on and off all day. Despite the less than desirable weather conditions, we trudged on, so excited to be on our first ever trip as "adults."  

Looking at this picture now makes me smile, for I have so many fond memories of that trip. That trip to Washington D.C. was the only spring break trip I ever took in college. Although Washington D.C. is a non-traditional college spring break destination, I couldn't imagine a more fun spring break. I was with my two dearest friends.  We were on our own, exploring a big, busting city and we were young with very few cares in the world.  It was perfect. 

This picture was also taken in Washington D.C. during my spring break, but this one was taken 19 years after the previous picture.  In 2013, I went with my mom and stepdad to our nation's capital in hopes of seeing the famed cherry blossoms that make their annual spring appearance in D.C. anytime between mid March to mid April.  The bloom is dependent on the weather and unfortunately, we arrived about a week before the blossoms bloomed that year. We saw a few budding blossoms, but they were few and far between. Most of what we saw was a red hue on the trees, indicative of the impending bloom.

As I look at this picture now, I'm reminded of the close bond I share with my mother and stepfather.  We have taken many trips together during my lifetime. Although I didn't appreciate them when I was a teenager, I mean, it wasn't cool at all to take educational trips with your parents, I appreciate the trips we took and the time we spent together now that I am an adult. This trip to Washington D.C. was my stepfather's first time to the capital city and I'm glad I was able to share that experience with him.

Linking up with Mackenzie @ Reflections from Me 

and Janine @ Reflections from a Redhead.