There I was, a ninth grader. The year was 1989 and leggings were in. So were stripped shirts, rainbow neon and off-set ponytails. I detested it all. I had spent the last year perfecting my get-away-from-me/I-don't-care glare. Def Leppard, Metalalica, Bon Jovi and Scorpions with a healthy dash of Cars (thanks to Scott) and Talking Heads (thanks to Craig) were my main musical repertoire. I had studiously turned my entire wardrobe black and decided that black eyeliner was the only makeup worth wearing. Mom had spent the entire year trying to get me to wear pink. Christmas was a pink sweater dress that was collecting dust in the closet...although I secretly thought I looked pretty good in it. The only cool person I knew who looked good in pink was Scotty. Pink neon, of course. And he only pulled it off because, well, he could pull anything off.

The year is now 2007. Leggings are in (didn't learn the first time around, did we ladies?) Over sized stripped shirts in neon sit haphazardly on nearly every mannequin in the mall. And I just spent the last 3 days studiously creating a masterpiece bedroom that would have made my 9th grade self jump off a cliff. Pink. Pink walls. Pink flowers. Light greens and yellows. Granted, it isn't my room. It is Alaina's. But It looks as thought a pink flamingo threw-up in that room. Not just pink, mind you. But flowers. Lots of flowers in pastels. Lots of glitter. Lots of sparkly thingies. And everytime I look at it a huge grin spreads across my face. Ahhh...what do 9th graders know anyways?

Mom has spent the last week with us and I immediately forced her to pull out the sewing machine and slave away the entire time. She made some curtains in the office/spare room. She made that awesome canopy matching curtain. I think she started to rethink the whole idea of coming to visit. The pink overload was completely my idea. Halfway through the painting I started having serious doubts about my color choice. I finished at 3 p.m. and even as I washed off the brushes I wasn't sure what I thought. After a good long sleep, though, everything looked perfect.