Back to School

Although I don't miss being in school, I do miss getting ready to go back to school. The new outfits, new shoes, and my favorite, back to school supplies. We would wait anxiously for the ShopKo ad to come out announcing that the bins in front of the store were full and come on in. The whole gang would pile in the minivan and leave with sackfuls of 20 cent paper, 10 cent folders, dividers, 99 cent packs of pens and pencils. If my mom was feeling especially generous we each got our own pack of highlighters but usually we had to share. Two per child, one pack was plenty for five kids. Trapper Keepers were also a rare but much coveted luxury.

Nothing was more exciting than arranging each binder and stuffing our pencil pouches to the brim. Even after I graduated from college I continued this autumnal tradition for Mark which he politely accepted and then rearranged everything once he got to school. Apparently engineers are too good for pencil pouches.

Now that no one in my immediate household is in school the sphere of back to school giving has extended. My mom is an elementary school teacher and 'gets' to go back to school every year. Lucky girl. Well, in honor of her valiant pilgrimage back to the ghetto of Ogden to teach those eager young minds my sisters and I give her a few new outfits to send her back in style. Here she is posing in her new duds. What a hottie, huh! I tried to get her to sport her 'school bag' with the ensemble to get the full effect but she wasn't going for it.