Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Rach in High School


I've been going through a box of photos and memorabilia from high school, reminiscing on some of the better times that I had in those four years. I just missed my 10-year high school reunion last week, and I would have loved to go, but we're looking forward to going to Steve's this weekend. I chose a lot of photos that are special to me (bear with me as I had to take photos of photos because a lot of these were pre-digital.) 

A little backstory. . . 

The day before my freshman year of high school, we moved from Chicago to Lincoln, Nebraska. Up until that point, I had only lived in one house, and I had gone to the same school from preschool through eighth grade. I lost my only sister Hannah in February. My mom started dating Don, got engaged, and walked down the aisle in a matter of six months. And Don lived in Nebraska. So we left everything and started a new life.


I was a fairly shy girl to begin with, but all of these changes pushed me further into my shell. I started my freshman year in the middle school, with hopes of transferring to a brand new high school for my sophomore year. Breaking into a circle of friends wasn't easy. I gained a lot of weight, acquired some shiny new braces, and I spent a lot of time at home. We adopted our yellow-lab mix puppy Holly, and some of my favorite memories were going on long walks with her and my mom.


I was definitely a hopeless romantic. Like most teenage girls, I had crush after crush, and I spent many an hour daydreaming about a first date and a first kiss. I kept expecting high school boys to step up and act like the smooth guys that I saw in movies or teen dramas. I didn't get a chance to date anyone in high school, and I secured my own dates to prom, but things worked out okay for me ;)

The summer between my sophomore and junior years, I reached a turning point. My faith got stronger, I lost 35 pounds, I gained a lot of self-confidence, and I finally started to feel like ME. 




In school, I wasn't a part of marching band or theater or sports. I joined a few clubs, but I mostly focused my energy on my classes and homework.

I took five years of Spanish in high school, and I fell in love with the language and Latin American culture. I had two of the most incredible Spanish teachers, and I loved their vibrancy in the classroom. For a while, my dream was to become a Spanish teacher in an elementary school because of these two ladies. Before my senior year, my family went to Quito, Ecuador on vacation, and it was really amazing to actually hear and use the language. I went on to pursue Spanish in college (as a minor).

(Nervously riding a horse in Ecuador.)

I loved my art classes--pottery, photography, 3D design, jewelry-making. I would have taken as many as I could if it weren't for those pesky "Gen Eds". ;)


One of my very favorite classes was AP US History my junior year. There was a lot of expected challenge in the writing and the AP-difficulty level, but American history has always had a pull for me. The hard work in my classes paid off with a spot in the top 4% of my senior class.


 There were around 400 people in our class, and we were only the third graduating class from our school.
 

We took this panoramic class photo in bright, bright sun on my 17th birthday, and somehow I ended up front and center :)



Aside from school, I was super active in my youth group. When I think of my very best friends from high school, they were from church, even though many of them went to the other high schools in town. We made SO many memories together in these years, and I was most myself with them.






After graduation, I moved back to Chicago for college, and college ended up being more fulfilling for me than high school. (I did meet Steve!) However, I'll never forget the high school years and how formative and life-changing they were for me.


Linking up today with Andrea for her high-school link-up.

Thanks for stopping by!  XO

11 comments:

  1. Ahh you look the exact same--you don't age! It's funny how much you learn about yourself in high school!

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  2. You are the cutest...even with the braces!!! Your blue prom dress is so cute!! I loved college a lot more than high school too!! It's just so new and so different than anything you're used to.

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    1. Aww, thank you Katelyn!! Someday I'll have to do a whole college post. Or a series of college posts because I have way more photos from those years :)

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  3. Love going down memory lane every once in a while!

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  4. This was so fun to read! I have to agree with Lauren's comment--you don't age! I think you look way different now, but not necessarily because you're older, if that makes sense.

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    1. Thanks Mattie!! I get what you mean, and I thank you :) :)

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  5. Youth group is one of my favorite high school memories too :) It seems like you looked back at high school and had the same kind of realizations as me...it helped make us who we are, but the best was yet to come :)

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  6. I have loved reading through these blogs from the link-up! I feel like knowing someone's history helps me understand who they are today. Awesome post!

    Suzanne

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    1. Thanks Suzanne! I really do love hearing people's backstories :)

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Thank you so much for your comments! I enjoy reading each one!

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