It had been 3 years since Kurt Cobain had killed himself. His music was an anthem for kids of the 90’s. Nirvana’s songs, Polly and Smells Like Teen Spirit poured out of the carport from the new band in town- Bubble. It was Halloween of 1997, and I was hosting my first girl/boy party complete with a band made up of 8th graders! This was huge as I was merely only a 7th grader and one that didn’t turn 13 until the summer. Black garbage bags enclosed the garage and were decorated with black light paint. Bubble gave a lively, memorable performance and when they took a break, the CD player blaired out tunes, such as, Wonderwall. Dancing to this song, I closed my eyes, trying to hold on to the moment. All I could hear was, I said maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me and after all.. Opening my eyes, I looked around at all my classmates, dancing to the song or standing around talking. We were all dressed up in some type of Halloween costume or camouflage. Since we were in the South, there was plenty of it and for those not feeling so brave to venture out with the costume choice, it would be a safe choice.

The only phone to be found was inside hanging on the wall inside the house (with a new feature- Caller ID). Did you ever *69 anyone? No one stopped to check their phone or post pictures on their Instagram or Facebook pages- they didn’t exist. Thank God! We all lived in the moment back then. We were just in the beginning of our teen years and still somewhat innocent. Girls began to carry purses- Sak purses with the charm that read “Sak”. Girls started to care what boys thought and most boys were still as tall as the girls, not quite entering man hood yet except for this one guy- I swear he had hair under his arm when we were in 6th grade! Having a boyfriend was all the rage even if lasted a few months. Saving room for Jesus when dancing was a thing though we all got closer after the coast was clear. People signed their names “Ashley wuz here” and “Love you DNQ”. Hemp necklaces adorned our necks though I am not really sure many of us actually new what hemp was but was a required purchase from when you went to the beach.

We were trying to figure out who we were and where we fit in. At the party, however, we just danced, talked, and were kids. Bubble, cool and mysterious (or as mysterious as 14 year old boys are to younger girls) added to the soundtrack of our lives. This party would have been a perfect John Hughes movie complete with intriguing older guys, a dance, first love, and the awkwardness of just being a teenager. Instead of Don’t you forget about me playing at the end, we could all simply form a mosh pit and chant (hey, it was the 90’s)…

Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello